Eni promotes study of Adriatic Sea biodiversity in schools

(AGI) Rome, May 26 - On the occasion of the third World Turtle Day, the Italian oil and gas company Eni on Thursday presented its "Vita in piattaforma" project, directed at elementary school students to promote knowledge of the Adriatic Sea's rich flora and fauna and the great biodiversity and habitats that form around extraction platforms. The event was held in the presence of local institutions and 140 children from schools in the Ravenna area participated in the project. The event falls within the framework of a series of projects promoted for the European Day of Biodiversity. It was organised by the Emilia Romagna region's Regional Network for the conservation of Sea Turtles and Whales at the premises of the non-governmental association Fondazione Cetacea. The innovative school project began as an idea from Eniscuola, with its syllabus developed in synergy with Eni's South-central Upstream District and in collaboration with the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation (FEEM) as well as the Fondazione Cetacea. The project's purpose is to inform the new generations on marine biology through environmental education activities and the discovery of the life forms found in the Adriatic. The "Vita in Piattaforma" project involved students in five of Ravenna's primary schools throughout the 2015-2016 school year. The seven classes involved carried out over 30 lab hours from October to May, for a total of 200 hours of overall activity in the course of eight months. The aim was to understand what happens in the deep waters of the Adriatic and to study the unique biodiversity and habitats that develop around offshore platforms. In order to make the experience more interactive and dynamic, Eniscuola developed a multimedia website (http://vitainpiattaforma.eniscuola.net) in order to use the tech-savvy language students are more familiar with, and also provided interactive tools. They also participated in numerous outdoor activities, such as monitoring the coastal environment. The Adriatic is an extraordinary basin from a marine biology perspective, and offshore platforms have become a veritable oasis for the repopulation of sea animals. Due to the bans on fishing and transit of vessels, and thanks to the rigid environmental checks carried out by Eni and the relevant authorities, the platforms create an ideal habitat for the Adriatic's main marine species to reproduce. (AGI). .