The day began at 10:00 am with the registration of participants, followed by the welcome address at 10:30 am. The event addressed the status of the species under study in the cross-border area between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Slovenia, with a particular focus on recent monitoring activities.
Chiara Manfrin opened the proceedings with a presentation on the status of the species in Friuli Venezia Giulia, providing an updated overview of the regional situation. She was followed by Minja Kristic, who illustrated the status of the species in Slovenia, highlighting both similarities and differences with the Italian context. Manfrin then spoke again to present the preliminary results of the environmental DNA data collection campaign in Slovenia, an innovative method for detecting the presence of the species.
After a short break, the session resumed with a talk by Federica Fonda from the University of Trieste (UNITS), who described the environmental DNA data collection campaign conducted in Friuli Venezia Giulia, thereby completing the cross-border comparative picture. This was followed by Giulio Bolognini (ETPI), who provided an in-depth explanation of the tools and capture methods used for species monitoring, offering essential technical and operational details for fieldwork.
The morning concluded with a light lunch at 12:30 pm, offering participants a valuable networking opportunity.
In the afternoon, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, a nature walk took place at the Flambro spring area, during which participants had the opportunity to observe the species' natural habitat up close and to explore in the field the topics discussed earlier in the day.
The event proved to be an important opportunity for scientific exchange and updates on biodiversity monitoring in a cross-border context, highlighting the joint contribution of Italian and Slovenian experts.
