INWIT and WWF together to prevent fires in wooded nature reserves
INWIT will install advanced technology on some of its infrastructure, able to detect fires at an early stage in three protected wooded areas managed by WWF
The collaboration between INWIT, Italy’s first tower operator, and WWF Italy, an environmental NGO, for the protection of woodland oases has started.
The Project
The aim of the project is to automatically detect and promptly alert, through a special technology installed on INWIT towers, the spread of forest fires in specific areas, protecting the biodiversity present in these areas.
Three WWF Oases were selected to start monitoring: Macchiagrande (RM), Bosco di Vanzago (MI) and Calanchi di Atri (TE).
Forests in Italy
Forests perform fundamental functions in the biosphere: they regulate climate and carbon exchange, ensure primary production and control soil erosion.
In Italy, the state of forests causes some concern. Rather limited areas remain and, above all, many animal and plant species have now disappeared. Our forests, although recovering, still show difficulties in hosting high levels of biodiversity that ensure important ecological functions.
Protection of Forests and Biodiversity
In line with the ongoing debate at COP 15 on biodiversity in Canada, INWIT wanted to engage with WWF Italy to contribute to its protection, bringing together different competencies for a common goal, aware that Italy is considered a hot-spot of precious biodiversity that needs to be protected from the increasing risks posed by climate change, such as fires, the main threat to Italian forests. The protection of biodiversity has been identified as one of the relevant issues for INWIT, and for this reason, we have also carried out an assessment of the impacts and opportunities of our infrastructures, reporting them in a position paper.
“The collaboration with WWF is a sign of INWIT’s commitment and the potential of our towers for use in environmental and territorial monitoring,” said Diego Galli, INWIT General Manager. In a logic of ‘tower as a service’, given the ramified distribution of our infrastructure throughout Italy, we can host advanced technology on our sites to safeguard biodiversity and make our green areas safer for everyone”.
“Biodiversity is fundamental to ensuring the health and functionality of natural ecosystems. That’s why we need to commit to preventing the damage caused by two of the main threats to biodiversity, namely anthropogenic pressure and climate change,” said Alessandra Prampolini, WWF Italy’s General Manager. “Thanks to the collaboration with INWIT, we will be able to protect our Reserves better, precious treasure troves of Italy’s biodiversity. One thing we need, in particular, is to be able to receive rapid alerts in case of forest fires, the frequency and intensity of which is increasing in Italy, and thereby promptly intervene to prevent extensive damage to the forest ecosystem and its rich biodiversity”.