Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) of global concern with potentially toxic effects on humans and ecosystems. Despite its ban under the Stockholm Convention, residues of the various isomers (α-, β-, γ-, δ-HCH) are still present across different environmental matrices, especially in soils. Fungi are considered excellent candidates for the mycoremediation of HCH-contaminated soils. Thanks to thei...

A comprehensive update on the distribution of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea was conducted by documenting 16 newly confirmed photographic records from southern Italy, collected through a national alert campaign supported by three Italian ministries. The campaign, titled Attenti a quei 4! (“Beware of those 4!”), also led to the detection of other invasive species, although lionfish were the most frequently re...

This collective study presents information on fifteen (15) species recorded across five countries (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and Türkiye) and four (4) ecoregions, ranging from the Alboran Sea to the Aegean Sea. The recorded species belong to three phyla: Mollusca (3 species), Arthropoda (3 species), and Chordata (9 species). Among mollusks, Martadoris mediterranea is reported for the first time in the Aegean Sea at two d...

Purpose of the Review Recent technological innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have successfully revolutionized many industrial processes, enhancing productivity and sustainability, under the paradigm of Industry 5.0. It offers opportunities for the forestry sector such as predictive analytics, automation, and precision management, which could transform traditional forest operations into smart, effective, and sustainab...

This collective article presents new information about 15 introduced taxa belonging to five phyla: one Rhodophyta, one Chlorophyta, one Mollusca, one Annelida, two Arthropoda, and nine Chordata (one Ascidiacea and eight Osteichthyes). The records refer to eight Mediterranean countries and extend from the Alboran Sea to the Levantine Sea as follows: Spain: first record of the African hind Cephalopholis taeniops for the Alboran...

The Mediterranean Sea biodiversity is undergoing a rapid reshaping due to different factors, many of which are directly related to human activities (e.g., pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and introduction of non-indigenous species). In this context, climate changes, and in particular water warming, are the main factors that favor the arrival and subsequent spread of thermophilic species, regardless of their area of...

This Collective article reports 17 introduced species and 22 new locations for these species in the Mediterranean Sea. The reports are from three different Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) subregions (Aegean-Levantine Sea, Adriatic Sea and Western Mediterranean Sea) and the Sea of Marmara and cover ten different countries. The goal of consistent and detailed reporting of introduced species is to complement the existi...

According to UNEP and FAO reports, the fishing nets abandoned in the seas around the world represent approximately 10% of the plastic waste present in the oceans. These nets, also called ghost nets, can be degraded over time, releasing microplastics and contaminating the environment. Studying the presence and amount of microplastics in an area impacted by ghost nets in the Gulf of Cefalù, northern coast of Sicily, Italy can he...

Purpose of the Review The review synthesises the current knowledge of post-windstorm management in selected European countries in order to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research. Recent Findings Despite the differences in forest ownership and national regulations, management experiences in Europe converge at (1) the need for mechanization of post-windthrow management to ensure operator safety, (2) the importance to...

This paper is a collection of novel distributional records of 20 species belonging to 8 phyla (Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Chordata) from 11 Mediterranean countries, namely, Spain: an additional record of the Canary dentex Dentex canariensis is reported from Spain (Valencia), this is the northernmost record of this species in the Mediterranean; Algeria: the first documented...