City parks are not only functional from a social point of view, they also filter fine dust, cool the atmosphere in summer, allow better water infiltration and much more. However, biodiversity in the city expresses itself in different ways and forms: with urban gardens, bird nests, flower tubs and a thousand other expedients. Everyone can make a contribution, from individual citizens to political authorities.

USI and SUPSI are presenting "BiodiverCity!", a cycle of three conferences designed to inform and stimulate active participation on this issue even within the Campus itself, and to enhance it as a place where discussions and reflections on issues that involve all citizenship, beyond the roles of students/staff, researchers or collaborators.

The conferences are open to all interested persons and will take place in the Startup Garage of the USI-SUPSI East Campus (1st floor) from 12.00 to 13.00, except for the conference on Friday 17, which will start at 11.00 and end at 12.00.

Participate in the planting!
At the end of Friday's conference, all participants are invited to take part in a symbolic action: the planting of a flower bed on a portion of the lawn on the SOUTH side of the campus (La Santa street side).  This will be followed by a small farewell aperitif.

The conferences are open to all interested persons. For organisational reasons, registration via this form is appreciated.

Download and share the event flyer.

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Programme

Monday 13 May ¦ 12 noon - 1 pm
Maya Leonelli - Landscape architect
Biodiversity in the urban and peri-urban landscape: principles and realised examples

The urban landscape is the central theme of a measure in the action plan of the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy: in order to safeguard biodiversity and ensure ecological interconnection, new urban and peri-urban landscapes must be created, with green spaces and spaces reserved for water, both in central areas and on the edges of settlements.
Together, let us rethink our cities as mosaics of habitats from which numerous species can benefit: gardens, parks and cemeteries, avenues and rows, debris deposits, brownfield sites, escarpments along roads and railways, water surfaces, roofs and façades... Enhancing biodiversity in the built environment offers us the opportunity for social and urban regeneration of a new collective pact between citizens and the territory they inhabit.

Wednesday 15 May ¦ 12.00 - 13.00
Pierluigi Zanchi - Technician in human nutrition
The urban vegetable garden

Take a barren strip of dirt road, between a car park and a wall, with no access to irrigation, cover it with vegetable waste, and start growing it. This is the experience that Pierluigi Zanchi will share with us, also reflecting on ecology, food self-sufficiency, circular economy and waste reduction.
An easily replicable farming experience conducted successfully in Locarno and described in his book L'orto inclusivo.
We will discover how to make a soil fertile in a natural way, obtain a large yield in a regenerative way and how to use everything a vegetable garden offers, including wild herbs that are often discarded. All this without using water, fertilisers or treatments.

Friday 17 May ¦ 11 a.m. - 12 noon (followed by planting and farewell aperitif)
Erica Franc Benetollo - Biologist, Head of the Public Green Project City of Lugano.
Actions for urban biodiversity - City of Lugano

Erika Franc Benetollo will present the urban context of Lugano in relation to the various green areas present in the municipal territory and the strategies applied by the City to promote biodiversity. Some concrete actions implemented in recent years will be presented.