Realised in the unique setting of the Scuola di Mare in the heart of the Bay of Lerici, the project alternates thematic workshops, sensorial explorations, boat tours, moments of dialogue, listening and conviviality, as well as role-playing and meditation sessions, between sky, earth and sea; an immersive experience in the sign of a regenerative approach to the man-nature relationship that values the respectful use of resources as an act of care and a renewed ethics of inhabiting the world oriented towards sustainability.

The project is conceived and organised within Smart Bay Santa Teresa, the first Italian cooperative platform aiming at building a Nature – human ecosystem model to contrast the effects of climate, promoted by ENEA in collaboration with Scuola di Mare Santa Teresa, CNR, INGV, the Municipality of Lerici and Cooperativa Mitilicoltori Associati.

MIMESIS is part of the Biodiversity Gateway of the National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC) and realised in collaboration with the theatre company Dynamis, the LTER Network – a national network for long-term ecological research – and the European Institute of Positive Psychology (IEPP).

Teaching staff includes terrestrial and marine ecologists, psychologists, philosophers, theatre teachers, role-playing experts and sea practitioners, a multidisciplinary team with proven experience from research institutions, training organisations and nationally accredited associations.

To register for the course, you must fill in the online form available at the following link no later than 31st of July 2025. The outcome of the selection will be communicated by email by the Scuola di Mare by 10th of August 2025, together with instructions for the payment of the participation fee.

Information at a glance: Check-in: on Thursday 28 from 18:30 – Check-out: on Sunday 31 from 16:00, Participation fee: € 300 (including membership fee, meals and lodging), Location: Scuola di Mare, Baia di S. Teresa – Lerici (SP), Via Santa Teresa scn 19032 Lerici (SP), Registration: Online form to be submitted by 1 July 2025, Full course description and programme, For further information: info@scuoladimare.com; Tel.: +39 348 8183008, Scuola di Mare website

]]> https://smartbaysteresa.com/en/the-oyster-project-2024-mussels-and-oysters-for-bay-regeneration/ Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:45:09 +0000 https://smartbaysteresa.com/?p=2083 From June to early August 2024, Smart Bay S. Teresa hosted the children and teens from WWF Travels campus, organized by Verdeacqua and Scuola di Mare, who spent 7 weeks to discovering the underwater wonders of the bay.

These young citizens contributed to the regeneration of S. Teresa Bay by actively taking part to The Oyster Project, under the guidance of Sofia Lorenzini (a master’s student at the University of Milan Bicocca and ENEA) who introduced them to the importance of ‘regeneration’ actions of a ‘stressed’ marine environment such as the bay. Sofia, together with educators from Verdeacqua and Scuola di Mare, guided the children and teens in the creation of natural structures (pillows) made of hemp nets (provided by Reeco) filled with shells of the concave oyster (Magallana gigas), locally grown by the Cooperative of Associated Mussel Farmers. These pillows were then placed on the bottom of the bay by the young citizens during snorkeling activities, thus making three-dimensional substrates available for the colonization of benthic organisms (mollusks, worms, bryozoans, algae,..).

This ‘citizen’s science’ project-  carried out by Smart Bay S. Teresa for three years- is relevant for three main reasons: 1) Implementing the ecosystem services provided by marine ecosystems for the bay by favoring their regeneration; 2) Adopting ‘circular’ solutions with the reuse of waste from shellfish farming and the textile industry, reducing disposal costs, CO2 emissions associated with disposal, and employing waste shells in their natural environment, the sea; 3) Making citizens and producers active actors of a major changing process, with Nature regeneration as key factor for sustainability in marine environment. Last but not least, The Oyster Project is part of a much broader regenerative pathway that will affects the entire Gulf and involving, in the long run, the knowledge, protection and restoration of flat oyster ‘beds’ (Ostrea edulis), a native species present in the Gulf since the late 1800s but highly threaten by direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts.

Among the different species of oysters, Ostrea edulis, known as the flat oyster (Figure 1), is a native species of Europe originally building extensive beds along the continent coastline and playing a crucial role in the economies of coastal populations and in maintaining the richness of marine ecosystems. Nowadays, the species is highly endangered and at risk of extinction according to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR). Thus, actions aimed a its restoration and repopulation are becoming a priority.

Figure 1. Ostrea edulis shells

The flat oyster in the Gulf of La Spezia has been reported from late 1800s, however, strong direct anthropogenic impacts, such as coastal urbanization, the development of military and commercial harbor, the subsequent pollution of water and seabed, together with indirect impacts, such as the loss of marine habitats, substrate depletion and modification, altered sedimentation rates, and climate change, have all severely threaten O. edulis local population. Nonetheless, O. edulis is still present in some areas of the Gulf of La Spezia, including harbor sites, where can be found growing on ropes, submerged metal objects (chains, anchors), piers and artificial structures. The changes of the seafloor (i.e., muddy bottoms) are such that the flat oyster is not able to settle and grow forming ‘oyster beds’, but the persistence of the species despite the impacts is a sign of the resilience of the local population.

Within the context of PNRR RAISE project (Ecosystem of Innovation for Liguria Region, National Program for Research and Resilience), an activity on the regeneration of port areas through circular approaches and nature-based solutions (NBS) has been designed by ENEA, together with the Cooperativa di Mitilicoltori Associati, IMC Foundation and the PhD program in Marine Sciences and Management at the University of Milano Bicocca. This activity will aim at regenerating St. Teresa Bay through ecosystem restoration, including O. edulis beds.

Launched during the Oyster Fest held May 10-12 in La Spezia, the activity will be carried out by two PhD and a master students (University of Milan Bicocca and the University of Bologna). At present, structures for catching the oyster larvae – consisting on ‘Chinese hats’ (Figure 2A) and oyster shells positioned in nets made of natural fibers such as hemp (Figure 2B)(provided by Reeco) – are in preparation. They will be positioned in 3 sites within the Gulf and monitored over 12 months to check the settlement and the growth of oysters.

A                                                                         B

Figure 2. Larvae catchers- Chinese hat (A) and hemp nets with oyster shells (B)

In addition, growth and metabolic measurements (respiration and calcification) of individuals of O. edulis characterizing the resident population of the Gulf (Figure 3) will be performed in order to monitor their health status through time. The biological measurements will be coupled with environmental monitoring – through Smart Bay S. Teresa empowered observatory – that will include high resolution physico chemical data acquisition and transmission from seven stations and that will be fully deployed in the coming months (funding: PNRR-RI EMBRC-UP).

Figure 3. Individuals of Ostrea edulis population positioned in the ‘oyster lantern’ used for oyster rearing

Written by: Erica Gabrielli and Sofia Lorenzini

Figura 1. Ellisolandia elongata and Mytilus galloprovincialis. Picture: S. Scarpa.

The coralline algae is wide spread in S. Teresa bay, growing on the artificial reef, on the floating pontoon and on natural rocks. Being one of the dominant marine ecosystems of the tidal belt (0-50 cm), therefore in direct contact with the atmosphere, it provides important ecosystem services, including biodiversity promotion and climate regulation. But how much and how does this ecosystem contribute to the absorption and storage of CO2 helping us in the fight against climate change? Smart Bay S. Teresa, in collaboration with the Zoological Station of Naples (F. Ragazzola) and the University of Turin (M. Battuello) is carrying out a pilot study to quantify the metabolic responses (respiration, photosynthesis and calcification) of the ecosystem to E. elongata in environment (figure 2 A,B) to ultimately quantify the capacity of storage of CO2 from the fringe present in the bay.

Figure 2. In situ metabolism study chamber (CISME) during experiments in Santa Teresa Bay. A. Positioning of the ‘brain’ of CISME on the pier; B. ‘Head’ and incubation chamber at the bottom of the bay (1 m) during the measurement phases. Photo: S. Scarpa.

The project, a bachelor thesis by Sara Scarpa (University of Turin), is currently in progress and will allow to obtain preliminary and innovative in situ data on the metabolism of the ecosystem, thanks to the use of CISME owned by ENEA. These preliminary data are necessary for the launch of the long-term monitoring of E. elongata ecosystem to climate change mitigation in S. Teresa Bay.

News by: S. Scarpa, S. Lorenzini, E. Gabrielli

Sailing&Research4Seas is an example of common project linking sport- sailing- with research and technology with the overall aim to implement the acquisition of physics chemical data in the ocean across the world. Based on the collaboration between the sailor Giovanni Soldini and his Orca srl and Smart Bay S. Teresa, the high-tech core of the project is the multi-parametric monitoring system OceanPack – RACE, produced by subCtech. The system is installed on the trimaran Maserati Multi70, lead by Giovanni Soldini, and it acquires physics chemical data such as temperature, salinity, oxygen and pCO₂ (sampling depth: 1 m) along the route. Acquired data are validated and analyzed by Smart Bay Santa Teresa research institutes performing the data quality check by using in situ high resolution instruments and Smart Bay S. Teresa underwater monitoring network and analytic measurements.

S&R4Seas ultimate objectives are data sharing within the scientific community and the dissemination of the status of the occurring ocean change to the general public. Ocean protection starts from its monitoring and only the cooperation among sectors will allow to acquire BIG data and thus identifying sustainable solutions for the ocean and our future.

Figure. Intensity maps of temperature (°C), salinity (PSU) and CO₂ concentration (ppm) acquired along Maserati Multi70 route in June 2022. Sampling depth: 1m, number of measurement stations: 95970; sampling rate in operating conditions: 1 data every 10 s.