Last update: 23/06/2004

Directorate General for Research

• The CLEMDES (Clearing House Mechanism on Desertification for the Northern Mediterranean Region) project, a supporting measure for implementation of the VI Framework Programme, in the “Soil Protection in the Mediterranean Region” sector, calls for the creation of a network with broad social participation through the development of an informational tool called a Clearing House Mechanism for the exchange of information and data on desertification. This project (2002-2004), coordinated by the National Institute of Agrarian Economics (INEA), includes among it partners the countries of Annex IV to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. APAT is responsible for gathering information and setting up the clearing house at the nationwide level in Italy, in close liaison with the other partners and with support from the INEA coordinator.
• The VOLTAIRE project, “Validation of multi-sensor precipitation fields and numerical modelling in Mediterranean test sites”, Part A Environment and Sustainable Development - RTD project 2002-2005, beginning in November 2002.

• The EUROSEISMIC programme, for which the second Workshop was held in Rome in October 2002 at the APAT headquarters, and in which the DSTN National Geological Service, now APAT, is a partner. This project calls for the gathering of seismic metadata for the last thirty years from the main European geological services. These data are available on the EU-SEASED site. APAT presented an inventory of the linear geophysical data held by the NGS. The structure of the metadata to be provided was defined, and a supply plan was prepared on electronic spreadsheet for the preparation and sending of data of interest deriving from the CARG project.
• As part of the “Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development” programme of the Fifth Framework Programme for Research, APAT also participates in the international MAMA (Mediterranean Network to Assess and upgrade Monitoring and Forecasting Activities in the Region) project, together with 30 other Mediterranean institutions. MAMA is also the first project of the Mediterranean Global Ocean Observing System (MedGOOS), which is an association founded under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The purpose of MedGOOS is to achieve an overall approach to the design and organisation of an operational oceanographic monitoring system to benefit all the countries on the Mediterranean. The final goal is to protect the marine ecosystem so as to reduce the impact of human activities and of climate change.
• The MEDRAP project, as part of the programme for the Environment and Sustainable Development, aimed at supporting the Action Plans of the Northern Mediterranean countries and strengthen their collaboration in techniques for analysing, assessing, preventing and mitigating phenomena associated with desertification;       
• A project funded as part of the specific measurement for small and medium industries for CRAFT cooperative research, aimed at identifying new techniques for the production of broad-leaved plants according to principles of sustainability.

• Environment and Climate Programme, participation in CLARINET - Contaminated Land Rehabilitation Network for Environmental Technologies in Europe, contributing to the work of the Steering Committee; in particular, APAT contributed to the drafting of the report on Sustainable Management of Contaminated Land, available on the Web site; 
• Nuclear Fission Safety Programme – Research Action for Radioprotection, participation in SEMINAT (assessment of radiological impact on natural environments), ECOPRAQ and RESTORE (for the formulation of descriptive models of the transport of pollutants in aquatic environments and in the recovery of polluted areas);          
• INCO-COPERNICUS Community Programme, coordination of the FORECO project (for identification of countermeasures aimed at mitigating the environmental consequences of the Chernobyl incident in the highly polluted forested areas of the former USSR).