The students of the International Master’s Degree Course ‘Valorisation and Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas – MOUNTAINSIDE‘ and of the Bachelor’s Degree Course ‘Valorizzazione e Tutela dell’Ambiente e del Territorio Montano – VALMONT’ recently carried out a multidisciplinary study trip to the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi.
As in the tradition, also for the 2023-2024 Academic Year, UNIMONT, University of Milan Hub, organised a multidisciplinary field trip open to the students of its Degree Courses.
This year, the choice fell on the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi where, during the four-day trip, students were able to experiment numerous activities and interact with institutional and private stakeholders who operate in the field on a daily basis.
The programme included an introductory meeting with the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Forestry Department and Romagna Acque, and a visit to the Ridracoli dam with evaluation of forestry and water management and bioengineering projects. The students took part in a wildlife excursion with a simulation of deer census and an example of a wolf monitoring and predation prevention project on farms. They also visited the Galeata landslide and discussed planned intervention with technicians. The activities also included simulations of botanical, silvicultural, ecophysiological, pedological and remote sensing operations on different intervention areas. Finally, the last day was dedicated to visiting a farm breeding Reggiano cows and a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy.
Regarding this experience, Dr. Luca Giupponi, researcher at the University of Milan – UNIMONT, said: ‘This multidisciplinary educational visit allowed UNIMONT students to deepen their knowledge of the Apennine territory and of its potential and critical issues. Furthermore, meeting local technicians and UNIMONT teachers allowed students to discuss strategic issues for the valorisation and sustainable development of these mountain areas including: the management of water and forest resources, the protection of nature, mountain tourism and the production of unique agro-food products.’
