INHABIT project

CNR-IRSA has participated as teaching Institute in advanced training courses held in Milan, Bari and Bolsena, respectively on 4-5 July 2012, 8-9 October 2012 and 30-31 October 2012. Such courses have been organized by ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) and have presented some of the INHABIT results. In particular, supporting material for Ephemeroptera Operational Units, needed for ecological status classification in rivers when artificial substrates are used, have been released.

Although their results are not directly derived from INHABIT activities, all presentations held during the course are available at the same link. Presentations refers to the last held course (Bolsena, October 2012).

Other courses, dedicated to the application of MacrOper system for classification of streams (and HMWBs) based on benthic invertebrates, will be periodically organized, with the aim of supporting the operators in the application of new assessment methods. Courses announcements will be published in this section of the website.

CNR-IRSA has organized, in collaboration with Prothea Group, the introductory course to CARAVAGGIO method, held at CNR – Research Area Milan – 3-5 October 2012. The course has been addressed to graduating and newly-graduated students. It has dealt with the characterization of habitat and local hydromorphology in streams, with reference to WFD. The course has also presented the CARAVAGGIO method and included experimental applications with reference to INHABIT project.

In particular, INHABIT approach for habitat assessment and ecological status classification (Presentation in Italian), descriptive indices calculated from features recorded with CARAVAGGIO method (Presentation in Italian) and some results of INHABIT project dealing with biological validation of stream types, reference sites validation and lentic-lotic classification of river reaches (Presentation in Italian) have been presented.

In the context of the promotion of INHABIT project results (after life communication plan), a CARAVAGGIO training course is scheduled for June 10th to 13th 2014. The course, held in collaboration with ARPA Sardinia, is exclusively dedicated to Sardinian operators. The program is available here.

Other courses dedicated to providing tools to the correct application of the CARAVAGGIO method and to acquire necessary elements for river habitat classification (sensu DM 260/2010) will be organized periodically. The first of such courses was held in March 2014. During the course a set of INHABIT products has been distributed and INHABIT results disseminated in the last day, part of which was dedicated to the presentation of some of the INHABIT Deliverables. Announcement for next courses will be published in this section of the website.