In this area we go to discover biodiversity , to understand the importance of its protection and discover that one of the main threats that puts the life of wild fauna at risk are invasive alien species.
Alien species are those species of plants, animals and fungi that establish themselves outside their original range. However, it is important to distinguish between alien species and invasive alien species, those that, when introduced, create damage not only to the ecosystem but also to health and the economy.
Many alien species have been introduced by humans since ancient times and have become part of our culture, think of the potato or the tomato.
Since the middle of the last century, an ever-increasing opportunity for the spread of potentially invasive species, in places other than their original ones, has been given by the increase in human mobility and the improved capacity for trade, permitted by globalization.
In Italy there are more than 2200 alien species of animals and plants, in marine and terrestrial environments. Of these, 20% are considered invasive or potentially so. To face this problem, the Italian Zoo and Aquarium Union (UIZA) , of which Oltremare is also a member, has decided to launch the campaign 'WATCH OUT FOR THE ALIEN' to spread the need to pay attention, even in our daily actions, to this problem.
In the Alien Invasion trail in Oltremare you can observe alien species that very often harm native ones, such as the catfish and the red-eared turtle.
Area open to the public from June 2025.
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