ABSTRACTS

FosteringIntegrativeStudiesofVolcanoes

IAVCEI2017ScientificAssemblyAugust14-18Portland,Oregon,U.S.A

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Daniele Andronico, Gilda Currenti, Sergio Longo, Lorenzo Brusca, SergioCalabrese,TommasoCaltabiano,AntoninoCristaldi,WalterD'Alessandro,CinziaFederico,FerruccioFerrari,FilippoGreco,AlessandroLaSpina,ManfrediLongo,LuciaMessina,RosalbaSubmission927SEW–SavetheEtnaWorldAtmorethan3,330mhighand~40kmwide,MountEtnainSicily,Italy,isthehighest

volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Etna stands majesticwhereveryoulookatit,showingadistinctiveskylinefromeachside.Morethan200,000peoplelivearounditsmid-slopes,whileanother300,000areinthebiggestcity,Catania,located at its southern lower slope. The volcano is so imposing that there aremanydifferent landscapes and habitats, often highly dissimilar. Ente Parco dell’Etna (EtnaPark)istheinstitution,startedin1987,coveringthecoreofthevolcano,protectingitsbiodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, and lastly promoting the sustainabledevelopmentoflocalpopulations.Withinthisframework,Etnahasrecentlybeenaddedtothe listoftheWorldHeritagesitesofUNESCO,whichdescribed itas“an iconicsiteencompassing19,237uninhabitedhectaresonthehighestpart”.SavetheEtnaWorld(SEW)isanItalianNationalprojectfundedby“FondazioneCON

IL SUD”,which throughamultidisciplinary approachaims at implementing a commonstrategyformonitoringandprotectinguniquehabitatsandbiodiversityatEtna.IstitutoNazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE) is one of thepartnersoftheproject.Ourmaindutiesaremonitoringandassessingtheimpactofthevolcanic activity on the environmental elements. The territory surrounding Etna isfrequently affectedby tephra fallout andvolcanic gasdispersion,whichmayalter thechemical-physical features of the ecosystem but also provides excellent nutrients forsoils and vegetation. The data collected will advance our understanding of therelationships between the environment and volcanic activity and will help towardsdefining the best practices for a more efficient use of economic resources withimplicationsforthesocio-economicactivitiesintheEtnaarea.A broad-spectrum of outreach activities will promote the environmental, social,

economicandculturalheritageofEtnaand raiseawareness towards theenvironmentamongthelocalpopulation.INGV-OEwillparticipateinthe"information,educationandgovernance"ofSEWactivities,providingmodulesdedicatedtovolcanology,organizingseminarsandworkshops,anddevelopingteachingtoolsforschools.Furthermore,INGV-OE will play a scientific support role in the dissemination of the monitoring activityresultsandcollectionofbestpracticesinthefieldofenvironmentalrisk.