CaFeCiCo 30 April 2026: Addressing knowledge gaps on biodiversity to set conservation priorities in Italy.

Italy is considered the most biodiverse country in Europe and lies at the heart of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. Despite this, it is only recently that researchers have begun to critically assess the extent of the knowledge gaps that hinder the systematic and unbiased monitoring of biodiversity, and how these gaps affect conservation prioritisation. These gaps take many forms: taxonomic knowledge may be incomplete or outdated (the Linnaeus gap), species distribution may be poorly documented (the Wallace gap), and information on functional diversity remains limited (the Raunkiæra gap). As a result, efforts to assess extinction risk — such as those carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature — are subject to significant biases. These biases are further amplified by unequal research effort and social preferences, which ultimately affect conservation decisions. 

Presented by: Emanuele Miccolis: Third-year PhD student at the National Centre for the Future of Biodiversity in Palermo (University of Palermo and University of Padua)

The seminar will be held in English

Date: Thursday, 30 April, at 11.00 am

Venue: Auditorium of the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA).

Carretera CV-315, km 10.7 – Moncada, Valencia.

CIDE Communication