Stefania Pindozzi

Accidents between vehicles and wildlife (WVCs) represent a complex management challenge, requiring integrated strategies that balance biodiversity conservation with public security and socio-ecological resilience. However, existing GIS hotspot analyses often identify spatial patterns without quantifying the structural landscape drivers that compel animal–road interactions. This study aims to identify “ecological traps” through an integrated landscape diagnostic framework combining Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) for statistical hotspot identification and landscape metrics (FRAGSTATS) for structural diagnosis, using the wild boar (Sus scrofa) as a focal species. An exploratory case analysis of high-collision locations was conducted, utilizing a high-quality dataset of 161 precisely georeferenced incidents recorded between 2015 and 2020 within the most critical municipalities of the Province of Avellino (Southern Italy). Results highlight two primary hotspots: the Guardia Lombardi-Conza corridor and the Avellino Nord-Pratola Serra axis. Quantitative analysis reveals that 39.1% of incidents occurred in non-irrigated arable lands and 19.9% in broad-leaved forests, with 52.8% of events situated within 500 m of river systems, which function as primary ecological movement corridors. Furthermore, fragmentation indices (Patch Density, Edge Density) were significantly higher in these focus areas, confirming that habitat isolation and the loss of core patches force animals to traverse infrastructure. These findings underscore the urgency of evidence-based spatial planning, offering a methodological framework with potential applicability for prioritizing mitigation actions, such as ecological corridors and intelligent signaling, to enhance the resilience of socio-ecological systems. This framework provides a scalable model for sustainable land management, ensuring that biodiversity conservation is integrated into long-term infrastructure governance.

Storage of livestock effluents represents a major source of ammonia (NH₃) emissions into the atmosphere. Reducing ammonia volatilisation is essential to improve the efficiency of nutrient use, mitigate air pollution, and enhance the overall sustainability of livestock production systems aligned with the principles of the circular economy. Therefore, identifying efficient and sustainable mitigation strategies is crucial. Conventional floating covers are commonly used to reduce emissions; however, they present limitations in terms of management, durability, and cost. This study proposes a novel approach by comparing traditional floating cover materials like straw and light expanded clay with biochar as an innovative and sustainable mitigation strategy to reduce ammonia volatilisation from the liquid fraction of buffalo digestate obtained from an anaerobic digestion plant in southern Italy. All cover materials were applied at a uniform thickness of 2 cm under laboratory conditions using a dynamic chamber technique. Additionally, a cost analysis was performed considering the material purchase cost for an average storage tank of 700 m² and two hypothetical reduction efficiencies (50% and 70%). Results indicated that biochar was the most effective cover, achieving a 67% reduction in ammonia emissions compared with the uncovered control. Light expanded clay exhibited the lowest efficiency, likely due to its insufficient sealing capacity at the applied thickness. From an economic perspective, biochar becomes increasingly competitive when emission reduction efficiency is accounted for, owing to its favourable physical–chemical properties. The results highlight the potential of using biochar as a sustainable, circular strategy for mitigating atmospheric emissions and improving nitrogen conservation, while also creating opportunities for its subsequent reuse in agriculture as a soil amendment.

Biofuels can play a crucial role in decarbonising transport by providing low‐carbon solutions for hard‐to‐abate sectors. Second‐generation feedstocks, cultivated on marginal lands, offer the potential to reduce the drawbacks associated with biofuels derived from food crops such as competition with food production. A Multi‐Criteria Analysis (MCA) coupled with a two‐model ensemble (DSSAT‐CROPGRO and ARMOSA) was used to quantify the gross bioenergy potential of the oil fraction of three underutilized crops: Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower), Ricinus communis (Castor bean), and Brassica carinata (Ethiopian mustard) on the identified Italian marginal lands. The MCA classified up to 38% of Italian agricultural land as marginal land. Both models performed well on calibration and evaluation datasets on phenology and yield with RRMSE values that varied from 2% to 28%. Long‐term simulations were used to map spatial patterns of productivity and to screen areas based on economic viability and interannual stability under contrasting management options. Depending on management and stability requirements, 1.0–2.41 Mha were suitable for bioenergy crops, corresponding to 16–50 PJ of gross feedstock energy. This represents a significant contribution to current Italian biofuel consumption, especially considering that Italy is a net importer of feedstocks for biofuel production. On a gross energy‐equivalent basis, these values correspond to 17%–52% of the current energy demand of aviation and shipping in Italy, although the actual contribution as final biofuel would be lower once downstream conversion and logistics losses are considered. Climate and soil variability strongly influence crop productivity, with a gradient observed from northern to southern Italy. Although biofuels cannot fully replace fossil fuels in transport, they can still play a pivotal role in hard‐to‐abate sectors, where alternatives remain limited.

The management of livestock manure is associated with substantial ammonia (NH₃) emissions and the accumulation of emerging contaminants, including antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and microplastics, posing risks to environmental quality and public health. Biochar has emerged as a promising strategy for mitigating gaseous emissions and reducing contaminant mobility during manure storage and composting processes. This review synthesizes recent research on the application of biochar in livestock manure management systems, focusing on NH₃ emissions, antibiotic degradation, ARG reduction, and microplastic removal. Particular attention is given to the effectiveness of biochar in mitigating pollutants during manure storage, housing operations, and composting processes. Across the literature, reported NH₃ mitigation efficiencies vary widely, from negligible effects to reductions exceeding 90–97%, depending on feedstock type, pyrolysis conditions, particle size, and application strategy. Biochar also promotes antibiotic degradation and ARG mitigation, with reductions of up to 98% reported in composting systems. Emerging evidence further suggests that biochar can reduce microplastics by approximately 15–64% in sludge composting. Plant-derived and chemically modified biochars generally outperform manure-derived biochars due to higher surface area, cation exchange capacity, and greater abundance of functional groups. The review highlights that activation treatments, co-composting strategies, and microbial interactions are key factors controlling pollutant mitigation efficiency. Despite promising outcomes, large-scale application remains limited by economic constraints, variability in biochar properties, and the lack of long-term field-scale validation. Future research should prioritize standardized production protocols, field implementation studies, and integrated environmental and economic assessments to support the practical adoption of biochar in sustainable livestock waste management systems.

Storage of livestock effluents represents a major source of ammonia (NH₃) emissions to the atmosphere. Therefore, identifying efficient and sustainable mitigation strategies is crucial. Conventional floating covers are commonly used to reduce emissions; however, they often present limitations in terms of management, durability, and cost. This study proposes a novel approach by comparing traditional floating cover materials like natural crust, straw, and light expanded clay with biochar as an innovative mitigation strategy to reduce ammonia volatilization from the liquid fraction of buffalo digestate obtained from an anaerobic digestion plant in southern Italy. All cover materials were applied at a uniform thickness of 2 cm under laboratory conditions using a dynamic chamber technique. Additionally, a cost analysis was performed considering the material purchase cost for an average storage tank of 700 m² and two hypothetical reduction efficiencies (50% and 70%). Results indicated that biochar was the most effective cover, achieving a 67% reduction in ammonia emissions compared with the natural crust. Light expanded clay exhibited the lowest efficiency, likely due to its insufficient sealing capacity at the applied thickness. From an economic perspective, biochar becomes increasingly competitive when emission reduction efficiency is accounted for, owing to its favorable physical–chemical properties. Further research is recommended to evaluate the long-term durability of biochar as a cover material and to investigate potential synergistic effects when applied later as a soil amendment.

Open manure storage contributes to the release of ammonia (NH₃) into the atmosphere. Tank floating covers represent an effective technique to reduce NH₃ emissions and biochar has been gain attention as a floating cover and as manure additive. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in the process still need to be elucidated since they are influenced by the biochar specific properties, application methods and dose. This work aims to study: (i) the biochar adsorption performances in an NH₃ aqueous solution under conditions relevant to manure storage and (ii) the effect of different biochar application methods and dosage on NH₃ emissions from buffalo digestate storage. The results show that a 43% reduction in NH₃ emissions can be achieved by using biochar as a floating cover of 2 cm rather than as an additive. Moreover, the results show that the biochar produced at 550 °C acts as an adsorbent material for both NH₄⁺ and NH₃, by being adsorbed on the biochar surface in the form of NH₄⁺ after H⁺ abstraction from the acid groups. A minimum cover height of 2 cm is required to give compactness and provide an additional resistance to the gas transfer, which is even more relevant than the adsorption in reducing NH₃ emissions.

In the last two centuries, land-use change (LUC) has been the most important direct change driver for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast with the consequent ecosystem degradation, forward-looking spatial policies and target landscape and land-use planning processes are needed from a sustainability perspective. The present paper proposes a framework of action, including different landscape-planning and ecological approaches: from spatial modelling to recognize LUC and build different scenarios, to ecosystem service (ES) assessment to evaluate possible environmental impacts. Three different scenarios were explored: Trend, No Tillage, and Energy crops. The sediment delivery ratio and carbon storage and sequestration ESs were assessed and compared for each scenario. The results show that regional development in line with past trends could lead to further land degradation (with ES value losses, in a decade, greater than 5%). Instead, the two scenarios proposed in compliance with EU policies could bring benefits, if only those related to moderate LUCs and respecting the naturally grass-vegetated land. The aim of the paper is to support decision makers and local communities in the landscape planning landscape planning process. From the local to global scale, guided and shared LUC management allows us to implement sustainable development, based not only on a deep knowledge of the physical environment but also of social and economic issues.