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<p>The better knowledge of the subsurface is one of the challenges faced by the Geological Survey Organizations all around the world. The assessment, and sustainable use, also concurrent, of subsurface resources, requires a holistic approach that takes into account also natural hazards and environmental impacts. Such approach is particularly significant in Italy where a large part of the territory is affected by several hazards (earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, ground subsidence), and the exploitation of subsurface resources has been recently a theme for a scientific and political debate to address, investigate, and manage the potential contribution  of human activities to increase natural hazards.</p><p>Exploration and knowledge, sustainable use and management, impacts, and publicly available information are key topics addressed in the GeoERA Programme by the Geological Survey of Italy (SGI) a department of ISPRA, , through the participation to eight GeoERA projects.</p><p>In the Geo-Energy Theme, the SGI contribution focuses on subsurface knowledge and database production: geological 3D model of the Po Basin subsurface as base input data for geothermal assessment of Mesozoic multilayer carbonate reservoir (HotLime); the implementation of the European Fault Database – EFD with information about faults characteristics, including 3D geometry and activity (HIKE).</p><p>As regards the Raw Materials Theme, inthe last decade, various projects aimed at implementing data and metadata on available raw materials have been fostered by the EU Commission. The projects involving SGI range from cataloguing mineral resources (MINTELL4EU) into a Database INSPIRE compliant, to the inventory of ornamental stones containing information about the physical and mechanical characteristics of the rocks (EUROLITHOS), as well as to deepen the knowledge aimed at a possible recycling/reuse of minerals from extractive wastes (FRAME) in a circular economy perspective.</p><p>In the Groundwater Theme, the main efforts of the SGI are involved on the implementation of an Italian inventory of available information on thermal-mineral water, an investigation on their geological background and the preparation of maps and web-map service (HOVER); the calculation of groundwater recharge at selected observation boreholes applying a statistical lumped model and as well using satellite data to produce spatially distributed recharge maps (TACTIC).</p><p>Finally, SGI contributes to the implementation and development of the GeoERA Information Platform that is established to support the other GeoERA projects in managing and disseminating geospatial data, reports and unstructured data, and the results of their research.</p><p>In a long term perspective, through the participation to eight GeoERA projects, the SGI has contributed to the development of a geological service for Europe built on the joint cooperation among national and regional geological surveys, that  will be the long term objective of the whole GeoERA Programme.</p><p>This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731166.</p>

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<p>Hydrogeological risk is a relevant issue in Italy, given its yearly and elevated socio-economic impacts in the country, including loss of lives in case of serious hazards. In the consistent case history of measures for hydrogeological risk mitigation ISPRA has developed the National Repository of hydrogeological risk mitigation measures (ReNDiS http://www.rendis.isprambiente.it/) which is a platform for monitoring measures funded by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) from 1999 onwards which also aims to managing the evaluation of funding requests coming from Regions.</p> <p>The ReNDiS project aims at implementing a database, collecting updated information about mitigation measures such as engineering works as well as non- structural measures. Inside the ReNDiS DB, information is organized by single “mitigation works” meaning that for every measure each stage from the financing action to design, work and accounting data are collected and stored. In order to manage heterogeneous data collected for each intervention, the choice of essential information has been restricted to: governmental funding measure, funding amount, local beneficiary authority, affected municipality, title of intervention and location. Other important information regards: geological and hydraulic characterization of the phenomenon, risk mitigation measures adopted, economic accounting for design, works and management, as well as up to date information on the actual progress stage of the intervention.</p> <p>Among this information, the typology of the works and of the natural hazard to be mitigated are indicated too. From the beginning of the monitoring, in 1999, around 12 thousand measures have been already recorded in the database, amounting to over EUR 29 billion of funds. Among these entries, the 60.8% are related to landslide risk mitigation and the 36.8% to hydraulic risk mitigation, while the remaining ones are related to other risks (Figure 1).</p> <p><img src="" alt="" width="397" height="229" /></p> <p>Considering each class of natural hazard, it was observed that measures implementing nature-based solutions are the 17%, the 11.8% and the 28.8% of the total number, within the landslide, hydraulic and other risks mitigation, respectively (Figure 2).</p> <p><img src="" alt="" width="426" height="345" /></p> <p>Within the measures on landslide risk mitigation, the NBS works adopted are represented in Figure 3. The highest number of these works mainly involve vegetation cutting, selective deforestation and planting, and structures made by biodegradable materials such as wood (edging, palisades, gutters), bio-mats, bio-nets and bio-felt. Among the measures on hydraulic risk mitigation (Figure 4), the most-used NBS implemented vegetation and the use of timber and stones in structures for water regulation measures. In both cases, a good variability of measure typologies was observed.</p> <p><img src="" alt="" width="537" height="212" /></p> <p><img src="" alt="" /></p> <p>The analysis showed that measures implementing NBSs are a conspicuous number, compared to the total, also considering their use often as a complement to more 'traditional' engineering works. </p> <p>Within the hydraulic risk mitigation measures, the use of greened weirs and stone and timber materials was preferred. In this case, the erosive forces involved and the frequent need for water regulation implied the choice of more structural materials and measures.</p>

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