On 17 and 18 April 2026, at the Officine Bellotti hall (Via Gagini, 31 – Palermo), the International Foundation for Mediterranean Biodiversity is organising a conference on the theme of ‘Extinctions and Rewilding’, which will explore in depth the topics that represent the Foundation’s very mission: the problem of extinctions and ecological renewal through conservation and reintroduction projects for extinct species.
On the first day, at 3:00 PM, Attilio Carapezza will chair the proceedings; following institutional greetings, Egidio Mallia will present the operational strategies outlined in the extraordinary plan for wildlife management and control in the Sicilian regional territory, which he himself drafted. This will be followed by the presentation of an original project for the reintroduction of the Sacred Scarab Beetle in Sicily (where it appears to have become completely extinct) by Salvatore Bondì. Tommaso La Mantia will then offer an original and previously unpublished overview of vertebrate extinctions in Sicily through historical and literary sources. Next, Salvatore Seminara and Antonio Spinnato will recount the story of the reintroduction of the Griffon Vulture in Sicily. The afternoon will close with Dionigi Secci, who will bring from Sardinia a summary of the reintroduction project for the Monk Vulture and the Bearded Vulture, carried out by the Forestas Agency.
The second day will begin at the same venue at 9:00 AM, with Francesco Petretti as chair; Alessandro Andreotti and Arianna Aradis will report on the results of several Life projects for the protection of the Egyptian Vulture, the only migratory vulture, which is on the verge of extinction in Italy. This will be followed by a brief dialogue between Bruno Massa and Alessio Planeta on the reintroduction of the Black Francolin at the Planeta Estate, in the territory of Menfi (Agrigento). Giacomo Dell’Omo will then speak about projects involving the use of nest boxes on electricity pylons, carried out by Terna, which have enabled the growth of populations of several bird species, including the beautiful European Roller. It will then be the turn of Renzo Ientile, who will present the results of a multi-year study on the only population of the Audouin’s Gull to have settled spontaneously in a protected area of Sicily. Camillo Cusimano and Bruno Massa will follow with the presentation of two ongoing reintroduction projects, concerning the Black Francolin in Sicily and the Sicilian Rock Partridge on the island of Pantelleria. Mario Possillico will then intervene on the role of Griffon Vultures in the context of Rewilding ecosystems in Abruzzo. And finally, Lorenzo Marsili will speak on the Ethics of conservation and reintroduction.
In the afternoon, after a lunch break, Francesco Petretti will chair a debate on the topics addressed.
The content of the presentations will subsequently form the basis of a volume containing texts and photographs submitted by the various speakers to the Foundation, which will be printed by the end of 2026.