Rare and unexpected species
Would you ever have expected to meet a wild cat, a porcupine or a skunk in Florence? This is the surprising reality that emerged from an ambitious camera trapping project by CNR-IRET and the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), the first national research center dedicated to biodiversity, funded by the PNRR – Next Generation EU, which is revealing the presence of numerous rare and unexpected species of mammals in the heart of the city. This is the first camera trapping project in Italy that includes an entire metropolitan area.
Ecological dynamics
NBFC (Spoke 5) researchers – Emiliano Mori, Leonardo Ancillotto and Andrea Viviano of the CNR-IRET in Florence with Olivia Dondina of the University of Milan-Bicocca – have installed 40 camera traps in parks, historic gardens and urban green areas of the Tuscan capital and province, with the aim of monitoring local fauna and better understanding the ecological dynamics of urban environments. Among the areas monitored: Villa Stibbert, Villa Blend, Parco delle Cascine, Parco di San Salvi, Parco dell'Argingrosso, Castello di Bisarno in Florence; Parco del Neto in Calenzano, Giardino dell'Oliveta in Sesto Fiorentino and Parco Chico Mendes in Campi Bisenzio. After 13 months of work, the first results of this initiative have been surprising: over 30 species have been detected, including some protected mammals such as dormice, small arboreal rodents, wolves and skunks, the latter found in the vicinity of humid areas, which are still very abundant in Florence and essential for this carnivore.
The most abundant species
The most abundant species were the fox, the European hare and the porcupine. The wolf was only found in the southern area of the city, while the fallow deer and roe deer were mainly found in the northern part. Of particular interest was the detection of the first wild cat in the southern area of the city. It is the only wild feline in Italy, present mainly in ancient woods and which until the 90s had only been sighted as far as the province of Pisa. "This project allows us to acquire valuable scientific data on urban biodiversity and to raise awareness among citizens on the importance of protecting ecosystems even in highly anthropized contexts - says Emiliano Mori. We are therefore very excited to discover the wealth of life that is hidden in our parks and gardens" (Source: NBFC Press Office)
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