ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment, is a public institution operating in the fields of energy, the environment and new technologies to support competitiveness and sustainable development.
The BAS (Biotechnologies, Agro-industry and Health Protection) department comprises a wide range of expertise concerning environmental and land management.  These skills are involved in research activities and in the development and application of technologies and processes for environmental protection in order to provide answers to complex problems caused by human activity impacts.
The BAS-DES “Combating Desertification” Group mainly deals with integrated research activities aimed to understand the cause-effect relations related to drought and desertification in the very act of development  on the national territory.
The Group studies and develops innovative methodologies of analysis for detecting end monitoring physical and environmental parameters strictly related to drought and desertification.
A special attention is paid to those local study-cases which encourage the promotion and sustainable use of natural resources. Innovative methodologies of risk analysis and land characterization are encouraged as well as the involvement of every local actor (administrators, social parties, research institutes, and association and productivity sectors) in order to identify reliable actions.

Activity of the ENEA for the project DESERTNET

The main subject of the activity carried out by ENEA (Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente) in the frame of the Project DesertNet has been to test, in three chosen areas, the participatory techniques both in order to enhance local people awareness on desertification issues and to provide, in collaboration with local groups of interest, proposals concerning mitigation measures.
The following pilot areas have been selected (in collaboration with NRD):
- Cammarata, Provincia di Agrigento, Sicilia;
- Alghero, Provincia di Sassari, Sardegna;
- Comunità Montana Collina Materana, Provincia di Matera, Basilicata.
In each of the chosen areas the historical, environmental, socio-economic aspects has been assessed, a local Workshop has been organised with the EASW (European Awareness Scenario Workshop) methodology, the results have been spread at local level and the impacts of the project activities have been monitored.
 
Contact:
Massimo Iannetta – Phone no.: 0039 06 30483339 - Fax: 0039 06 30484630 - E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it