1. General information Location and description of the intervention City or FUA Cagliari (FUA) Region Europe Native title of the NBS intervention Percorso Flora Aliena Invasiva Short description of the intervention In September 2018, a new didactic itinerary on invasive alien species was inaugurated in Cagliari's botanic garden. The initiative has been initiated in order to raise awareness and share important legislative and scientific knowledge on the matter (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). It has been curated by Life ASAP, which is an EU co-funded project focused on targeting the introduction of animal and vegetal alien species in Italian territory (Refs. 4 & 5). The initiative in the botanic garden focuses on a 13-pannels pathway through the garden, which will guide visitors towards the discovery of the issue of the introduction of alien invasive species on the territory. The goal is to attract the population's attention to the topic through a sensorial and interactive experience. In fact, the panels are easy to understand, colorful, and accompanied by explanatory images and bas reliefs. Children and youngsters can also participate in a laboratory called "the alien's identikit," according to which they have to recognize the newly learned alien species around the garden (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). This Path represents the first (and only) permanent space dedicated to biological invasion processes and invasive alien species in the network of Italian Botanical Gardens. (Ref.2). Therefore, the project, in collaboration with the University of Cagliari, promotes education for all ages on the risks and consequences of such an underestimated problem and aims to educate citizens on how their actions can prevent the phenomenon from spreading further (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). Website of the intervention https://www.lifeasap.eu/index.php/it/component/content/article?id=199:piante-al… Principal problems Environmental Degradation Invasive alien species Implementation area characterization Climate Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter) Ecosystem Urban or built environment Address Via Sant'Ignazio da Laconi, 11 09123 Cagliari Italy Location The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by). Area boundary (map-based) NBS area image Source of NBS area image Google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Orto+Botanico+di+Cagliari/@39.2223414,9.1099058,642m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x12e7340537f72d05:0x76b4c1111c63297b!8m2!3d39.2214479!4d9.1101633!16s%2Fm%2F03ykhd9?entry=ttu Total area 5000.00m² NBS area 5000.00m² Area description Urban (main city) Type of area before implementation of the NBS Cultural Heritage Area Timeline of intervention Start date of the intervention (planning process) 2018 Start date of intervention (implementation process) 2018 End date of the intervention 2018 Present stage of the intervention Completed 2. Objectives of the intervention Objectives of the intervention Goals of the intervention The intervention aims to: 1. To raise public awareness, spread knowledge, and educate people about the issue of invasive alien species through a sensory and interactive experience. 2. To educate people of all ages about the risks and consequences of this often-overlooked problem and encourages citizens to take action to prevent its further spread. 3. To educate on how to distinguish between alien pieces that are not harmful and bring socio-economic benefits and those that have a negative impact on the local ecosystem (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). Key Priorities Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration) Sustainability challenge(s) addressed Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15) Habitat and biodiversity conservation Cultural heritage and cultural diversity Preservation of natural heritage Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10) Environmental education Sense of community and community engagement Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) Sustainable production Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention? Species-focused Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Protect and enhance urban habitats Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem Means for conservation governance Raise public awareness Public engagement Implementation activities and NBS focus Implementation activities - installation of 13 pannels - kids laboratory: "The alien's identikit" The project is mainly based on educational material: therefore, its various educational and awareness purposes are fulfilled with didactic material on the area of the botanic garden (all curated by the University of Cagliari) and are made more accessible thanks to the additional laboratories and deepened thanks to the connection through QR's to the Life ASAP's website, which provides additional material on the spread and differentiation of Invasive Alien Spieces, on how they impact the environmental's ecosystem and how to prevent their negative impacts, such as the alteration of local habitats. Sustainable production is also included, given the role phytosanitay products have on the control of the spread of invasive species. However, such products can be highly toxic and need to be used responsibly and with particular attention to the environment (Refs. 1, 2, 3 & 6). Type of NBS project Protection of natural ecosystems Habitat conservation Knowledge creation and awareness raising Educational and awareness raising programs 3. NBS domains, ES and scale NBS domain and interventions Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented Parks and urban forests Botanical gardens Amenities offered by the NBS Educational or biodiversity trails Design elements for well-being Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation) Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells) Services Expected ecosystem services delivered Cultural services Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational) Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals Social and community interactions Scale Spatial scale Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings) Beneficiaries Demographics in implementation area The botanic garden is located in the neighborhood of Stampace, which had, in 2018, when the project started, 6,489 inhabitants (around 4.4% of the total population of Cagliari). The average age is around 47 years old (one of the youngest populations in the neighborhoods of Cagliari), distributed as follows in different age groups (this data refers to 2022): 1. 0-14: 832 (12%), which denotes one of the neighborhoods with the biggest percentage of the young population. 2. 15-64: 4.468 (65%) 3. over 65: 1.622 (23%) The neighborhood is particularly characterized by immigration flows. In fact, the foreign population amounts to 14% of its total population, which is one of the highest rates in Cagliari's neighborhoods. Most of the foreigners in the area come from China, Bangladesh or Bosnia Herzegovina. 60% of the households in the neighborhood are composed of 1 single person, 19% of 2 people, 12% of 3, 6% of 4, 2% of 5, and slightly more than 1% of 6 or more people (Refs. 7 & 9). Socio-economic profile of the area Unknown Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts No Non-government actors Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches Researchers, university Social enterprise Primary Beneficiaries Researchers/University Citizens or community groups Young people and children Specify primary beneficiaries The primary beneficiaries are the citizens, who will be more aware of the ecosystems in their surroundings and the threat to them due to invasive alien species. Thanks to the project's layout, the initiative perfectly targets children and young people who can enjoy the project by interacting with the sensory panels and through the laboratory (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). Marginalized groups Unknown Other beneficiaries Native plant vegetation 4. Governance and financing Governance Governance arrangements Led by non-government actors Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative Cagliari University in collaboration with the Life ASAP project started the initiative. - EU: co-funded the Life ASAP education program (Refs. 4 & 5). - University of Cagliari: contributed to setting up the project in their botanic garden and helped in the preparation of the didactic material (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). - ISPRA (Superior Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) in cooperation with Legambiente, Federparchi, Lazio Region, University of Cagliari, Nemo S.r.l., Tic Media Art and the national parks of the Tuscan Archipelago, Aspromonte, Gran Paradiso and the Lucanian Apennines. They were all responsible of managing the Life ASAP Project (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). Key actors - initiating organization Regional government Public sector institution Researchers/university Private sector/corporate actor/company Social enterprise Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors) EU body Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders) Dissemination of information and education Uncommon actors ("Missing actors") Other entities with special purposes Botanic gardens Land owners Educational actor (schools or universities) Policy drivers NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan Unknown Mandatory or voluntary intervention Voluntary (spontaneous) Enablers & Barriers Type of enablers City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city) Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives. The initiative was born under the Life ASAP project. Governace and decison-making instruments Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs) Arrangements for governance cooperation Unknown Barriers unknown Financing Total cost Unknown Please specify total cost (EUR) €1,844,005 has been financed by the EU for the whole Life ASAP project, and part of these funds has been used for the implementation of the project in Cagliari's botanic garden. However, the precise amount is not specified (Ref. 8). What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements? Unknown Source(s) of funding EU funds Type of fund(s) used Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities) Non-financial contribution Unknown Co-finance for NBS Yes Entrepreneurship opportunities Unknown Business models Business models Green education model Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model? Public actor (e.g. municipality) Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer) Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation) 5. Evaluation and learning Impacts, benefits Environmental impacts Green space and habitat Reduced biodiversity loss Expected reduced biodiversity loss Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species Expected improved prevention or control of invasive alien species Reduced illegal trade of species Expected reduced illegal trade of species Description of environmental benefits - reduced biodiversity loss: "A sensory walk to learn about alien plants and impacts on biodiversity" (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). - improved prevention or control of invasive alien species: "Aims to reduce the rate of introduction of invasive alien species (IAS)" (Ref. 4) & "Allows users to receive information regarding ecological characteristics, possible introduction routes, negative impacts, and prevention activities related to more or less known invasive alien species: Agave, Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear fig), Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Carpobrotus acinaciformis (Hottentot fig), Oxalis pes-caprae (yellow sorrel), Ricinus communis (castor bean), Acacia saligna (narrow-leaved mimosa), species of agricultural and food interest, and trees such as Robinia pseudoacacia (locust tree) and Ailanthus altissima (tree of paradise). " (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). - Reduced illegal trade of species: "Allows users to receive information regarding ecological characteristics, possible introduction routes, negative impacts, and prevention activities related to more or less known invasive alien species" (Refs. 1, 2 & 3). Economic impacts Unknown Description of economic benefits Unknown Social and cultural impacts Cultural heritage and sense of place Protection of natural heritage Expected protection of natural heritage Education Increased knowledge of locals about local nature Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature Social and cultural impact indicators Number of environmental education programs, workshops, outreach activities (eg. in schools, community centers, public spaces) 2 Description of social and cultural benefits The project should address: - protection of natural heritage: "it will be possible to learn about the main issues related to the presence of invasive alien plants and the methods to help stop their spread" (Refs. 1, 2, 3). - increased knowledge of locals about local nature: "it will be possible to learn about the main issues related to the presence of invasive alien plants and the methods to help stop their spread" (Refs. 1, 2, 3). Evidence for use of assessment Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process Yes Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts Unknown Presence of indicators used in reporting Yes Type of indicators Process indicators Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports No evidence in public records Availability of a web-based monitoring tool Yes Name of any specific impact assessment tools Google analytics and Social Medias: 1. Google analytics: results have been driven based on Key Performance Indicators, indicated as following in their reports: "- No. visitors/month - is the number of users who visit the web pages dedicated to the campaign in a month. Active users: This metric allows to assess the level of interest generated by our website on the Internet in a given time frame. - Bounce rate - this is a specific indicator that indicates the percentage of people who have reached the site and visited a single page. This metric helps identify whether campaigns are intercepting the right people. A high bounce rate is an indicator of low interest from the visitors. - Average time on page - measures the level of interest generated by web page contents" (Ref. 8) 2. Social medias: they have been analyzed as follows "- Fan base - n. of fans of the project's Facebook page; - Follower - no. of users who permanently follow the project account on Twitter; - Engagement is data that shows how much users like the campaign content. It is the "engagement" obtained on the campaign's social accounts through the number of likes, shares, and comments each post received." (Ref. 8) Use of GIS in mapping impacts No Cost-benefit analysis No Transparency Public disclosure of project funding sources and/or budgets Justice Community satisfaction Unknown Description of locals satisfaction with the project Unknown Trade-offs & Negative impacts Unknown Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement No initiatives or policies were implemented High-quality & Transformative NBS Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community) No Goal setting and impacts delivery No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas. Long-term perspective Yes Cost-effective solutions Unknown Equitable impacts A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project Transformative capacity Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them) Magnitude of change Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically Application of lessons learned Unknown Perception of Environmental Change No 6. Sources References 1. Life ASAP (2018). Inaugurato oggi il percorso "Flora Aliena Invasiva" nell’Orto Botanico di Cagliari. Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 2. Casteddu Online; La Nuova Ecologia; Sardegna Reporter; L'Unione Sarda (2018). Rassegna Stampa - Orto Botanico. Cagliari: Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 3. Università degli Studi di Cagliari (2018). Flora aliena invasiva, inaugurato il percorso all’Orto botanico. Cagliari: Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 4. Life ASAP (n.d.). Life ASAP. Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 5. Life ASAP (n.d.). Il programma LIFE. Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 6. Tricarico, E; Lazzaro, L; Giunti, M; Bartolini, F; Inghilesi, A; Brundu, G; Cogoni, A; Iiriti, G; Loi, M; Marignani, M; Caddeo, A; Carnevali, L; Genovesi, P; Carotenuto, L; Monaco, A (n.d.). LE SPECIE ALIENE INVASIVE: COME GESTIRLE. Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 7. Univeristy of Cagliari (n.d.). Orto Botanico. Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 8. European Commission (n.d.). Alien Species Awareness Program. Accessed on August 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 9. Comune di Cagliari (2022). Atlante Demografico di Cagliari. Cagliari: Accessed on August 10, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; Comments and notes Public Images Image One of the 13 panels in the Botanic Garden of Cagliari Life ASAP. 2018. “Inaugurato Oggi Il Percorso ‘Flora Aliena Invasiva’ Nell’Orto Botanico Di Cagliari.” Lifeasap.eu. February 4, 2018. https://www.lifeasap.eu/index.php/it/component/content/article?id=199:piante-aliene-tra-noi-2. Image One of the 13 panels in the Botanic Garden of Cagliari displaying information on the Acetosella Gialla specie. Università di Cagliari. 2018. “Flora Aliena Invasiva, Inaugurato Il Percorso All’Orto Botanico.” Unica.it. 2018. https://web.unica.it/unica/it/news_notizie_s1.page?contentId=NTZ130348.
Image One of the 13 panels in the Botanic Garden of Cagliari Life ASAP. 2018. “Inaugurato Oggi Il Percorso ‘Flora Aliena Invasiva’ Nell’Orto Botanico Di Cagliari.” Lifeasap.eu. February 4, 2018. https://www.lifeasap.eu/index.php/it/component/content/article?id=199:piante-aliene-tra-noi-2.
Image One of the 13 panels in the Botanic Garden of Cagliari displaying information on the Acetosella Gialla specie. Università di Cagliari. 2018. “Flora Aliena Invasiva, Inaugurato Il Percorso All’Orto Botanico.” Unica.it. 2018. https://web.unica.it/unica/it/news_notizie_s1.page?contentId=NTZ130348.
