Apr. 8 – The prestigious Cambridge University Press has recently released a new book under the title “The Balance of Nature and Human Impact.” It is a high-level scientific publication that saw the contribution of 30 scientists worldwide, and among them there is also Annapaola Rizzoli, veterinary doctor at the Research and Innovation Centre of the Edmund Mach Foundation (San Michele all’Adige). The book analyses the situation of different types of ecosystems and species (plant and animal), and examines their state in relation to the changes that the planet is facing due to human activities, climate change, globalization of trade and human population growth. What are the effects of these activities? Is the ecological balance of populations and communities disturbed in such a way as to upset the balance of nature, or does it not perturb it in such a catastrophic way? “It is often argued – explains Annapaola Rizzoli – that the great changes of climate and sea level have occurred several times in the geological past, long before human activities had begun. However, what is occurring now is impacting the very functioning of ecosystems and human well-being and is influenced by human activity.” The publication also addresses the issue of the invasion of alien species in different ecosystems. These phenomena are present also in Trentino, where the tiger mosquito and Drosophila Suzukii are now common.
