Since June 2023, Pianosa has been no longer just an island of rare natural beauty, but also an outpost of national and international scientific research. The Pianosa Research Base (BRP-CNR) was inaugurated, housed in the former Carabinieri barracks, now transformed into a study and reception center for researchers, students, and volunteers.
Inside, rooms, laboratories, and common areas allow people to live and work on the island for extended periods, transforming a place once marked by prison isolation into an open-air interdisciplinary laboratory for studying island ecosystems and experimenting with sustainability practices that can be replicated elsewhere.
The base is scientifically coordinated by Brunella Raco (CNR-IGG), while logistics are managed by Sandra Trifirò. A working group established by the DSSTTA (Department of Earth System Sciences and Environmental Technologies) ensures its scientific direction, integrating the expertise of three CNR institutes: CNR-IGG (Matia Menichini), CNR-IBE (Francesco Primo Vaccari), and CNR-ISMAR (Silvia Merlino).
The lines of research
Scientific activities focus on four major areas: hydrosphere, geology, biosphere, and soil. Pianosa thus becomes a unique observatory, where hydrogeological networks and real-time monitoring systems allow for the study of natural resources with cutting-edge instruments.
Among the projects already underway, the following stand out:
• PianosaAquifer, which analyses the island's hydrological cycle, the risk of marine intrusion and water availability in vulnerable contexts.
• Hydro-Island, developed within UNESCO, which studies the impact of climate change on the water resources of small islands through integrated approaches.
• ITINERIS, financed by the PNRR, which has activated an observatory of the “Critical Zone” on the island, i.e. the area in which water, soil, atmosphere and biosphere interact
• IS-MARe, a multidisciplinary project for the study of the marine and coastal ecosystem of Pianosa, which integrates previous knowledge with new monitoring technologies and genetic analysis.
A network of collaborations
A key step forward was the recent signing of a three-year agreement between the CNR (IGG-IBE-ISMAR) and Legambiente, to strengthen research and conservation activities on the island. At the same time, the base works closely with the Tuscan Archipelago National Park to integrate research and land management.
A bridge between science and society
The base is not just a research center: through its existing collaborations, it promotes environmental education and citizen science activities, thus promoting Pianosa as a model of shared sustainability, where scientific knowledge and voluntary commitment meet and strengthen each other.
A replicable model
Pianosa's experience demonstrates that even a small island can become a hub for ecological transition: a place where science meets volunteerism, where environmental protection integrates with technological innovation, and where sustainability is not just a goal, but a daily practice.
From a place of isolation to an island laboratory, Pianosa today represents a virtuous path worth telling and sharing.
