The first intervention was by Claudio Serafini, who stated: “I would like to examine the word ‘biodiversity’ from three different perspectives. The first concerns its meaning; the second is about its connection with the community, understood as dialogue or the union of people around shared values; and the third aspect is what we can do to safeguard biodiversity. Regarding the first point, we can say that it represents the variety of life, of creation, where ‘variety’ is not just an arithmetic calculation… For the next point, the relationship between community and biodiversity, we can clearly understand that without it, there would be no resources available to sustain our lives. I remind you that about a third of the essential foods for humans depend on the action of pollinating insects… The same goes for medicines mostly derived from natural and plant-based products… So, what can be done to preserve biodiversity? In Europe, we must actively participate in the open dialogue between institutions, the agricultural world, and environmental associations. I remind you that the goal of the European Green Deal is to dedicate 25% of agricultural land to organic farming by 2030, while today we are at about 10%. And it’s clear that the reaction from traditional agricultural sectors has been very strong. But it is also true that this is the path to preserving biodiversity and ensuring a future for the planet”.

Next, Maurizio Rivolta, a Councilor for the Ticino Park and Vice President of the FAI (the National Trust for Italy), spoke: “Lately, there has been more talk about biodiversity, whereas it used to be a topic only addressed by professionals in the field. In fact, it is an important issue for daily life. The previous speaker mentioned the role of pollinating insects: it has been calculated that if they disappeared, the GDP would decrease drastically. There is also the aspect of quality of life: think about the invasive exotic species that are spreading in our territory, from tiger mosquitoes to stink bugs… This is an issue that should not be left to environmentalists but concerns all of us every day… The Ticino Park, with its over 90,000 hectares, was the first regional park in Italy to be established and the first European river park. Created in 1974 to protect the Ticino River and the rich biodiversity of its territory, it stretches from Lake Maggiore to the confluence of the Po River, encompassing habitats that range from alpine landscapes to the plains, with spring fields in between. It is an area of great natural value and dense human habitation… Within it, there are 14 Special Areas of Conservation, a European Site of Importance, and a Special Protection Area. One example is the Fagiana reserve, with twenty-two different types of butterflies… The Park is also located along the migratory routes of birds traveling annually from North Africa to Europe and vice versa… Regarding organic and intensive farming, the latter involves large monoculture fields that impoverish biodiversity and are harmful to its health, while the former implements varied farming with multiple production types, guaranteeing less quantity but higher quality products. Therefore, the costs of intensive agriculture ultimately fall on the entire community… The wolf has also reappeared in the Park, which plays a natural regulatory role among the species of the area…”.

The topic of biodiversity, agriculture, and landscape was addressed by Maddalena Gioia Gibelli, President of the House of Agriculture.

“How has the Lombard agricultural landscape changed over the years? In the 20th century, we had 6,000 different agricultural species; today, we have only 60 plants. In the past century, people mostly ate seasonal vegetables, but today the diet is rich in animal products, fats, sugars, and salts. The agriculture of the future will mostly be cultural… The Po Valley, until the year 1000, was full of monks and, thanks to springs and marshes, abundant in water. Morimondo was founded after 1100 by Cistercians, and at that time, there was a strong connection between food and health, food and medicinal herbs. Hay represented the oil of that era and the subsequent ones when transport was ensured by horses, and oxen plowed the fields. Milan was a rich and powerful city precisely because of its abundant crops. In the 1400s, the Sforza family planted rice, which was a novelty and an evolution for Milanese agriculture, challenging the centuries and bringing significant socio-economic development… After the Second World War, a gap between humans and agriculture emerged… In Italy, the population density is 0.8 per square kilometre, with 196 inhabitants per square kilometre in 2020. We also have a remarkable variety of landscapes, from the highest peaks in Europe, like Mont Blanc, to the Po Valley. There are also 60,000 native species… Therefore, we must protect, support, and increase the relationship between food, culture, agriculture, and biodiversity”.

Patrizia Digiovinazzo, an ERSAF technician, explained the functions of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Forestry Services. Essentially, ERSAF is the technical arm of the Lombardy Region responsible for carrying out activities to develop and innovate the agricultural, forestry, and rural land sectors.
For the agricultural sector, its functions include specialized training, assistance, the development of technological innovation, and enhancing the competitiveness of companies, as well as promoting Lombardy’s agricultural products, including organic farming. Regarding the forestry sector and rural land, its functions include managing and enhancing regional assets and supporting biodiversity.

Digiovinazzo particularly highlighted two ERSAF projects: one for biodiversity in Lombardy and the Life Gestire 2020 project. The first aims to implement investment interventions to safeguard biodiversity and improve ecological connections in green areas. The second, lasting eight years, involves 436 projects across 246 sites: 115 in the Alpine biogeographic region, 131 in the continental region. ERSAF is also involved in a project on “urban biodiversity” led by the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Paolo Mira, Director and Curator of the Morimondo Abbey Museum, concluded the debate by discussing the establishment of the museum complex.

The Abbey was built in Coronate, halfway between Milan and Pavia. It was the fourth Cistercian settlement founded in Italy, located on the major roadways of the time: a somewhat isolated place, yet accessible to the nearby commercial routes. “An isolated place, but not a desert”, remarked Professor Mira.

Today, the entire Abbey complex is a museum open to both free and guided tours. The Angelo Comolli Civic Museum, located on the first floor of the Town Hall, houses works by the Liberty-style painter and fresco artist Angelo Comolli (Milan, 1863 – Morimondo, 1949), one of the first to be actively involved in preserving this historical site.

At 3:30 PM, in the same Chapter Hall, the event “The Colours of Biodiversity” took place, coordinated by Tonino Bettanini, with contributions from Gloria Mari, President of the “Nocetum Social Cooperative”; Reverend Father Stefano Zanolini, Abbot of Chiaravalle; Don Virginio Colmegna, Honorary President of the Casa della Carità; and Annastella Gambini, Professor of Biology Education for primary and early childhood school teachers at the University of Milano-Bicocca.

The debate was presided over by Livia Pomodoro, who engaged with the speakers by posing some insightful questions.

She opened with the following remarks: “When we talk about biodiversity, we cannot forget humanity… Present with us are individuals who speak about humanity to humanity, and from man to man… We must pay attention and care for the environment, emphasizing its beauty: only then will we be worthy of the word ‘humanity’”.

Gloria Mari, shared her experience: “I’ve been part of the coordinating group of the Italian Episcopal Conference for the Custody of Creation since 2001. I’m also the president of Nocetum, a one-hectare piece of land in the Valle dei Monaci, near Chiaravalle Milanese, where we focus on the care of people. It was Pope Francis who reminded us that the cry of the suffering earth is the cry of the poor, and it will be the cry of all… The bees connect us to Chiaravalle: even Saint Bernard was called Doctor mellifluus. Our bees are raised by professional beekeepers and by people with vulnerabilities. And the swarms move, so I say they are the ones connecting us to Chiaravalle… Pope Francis warned us in the encyclical ‘Laudato si’’ about the loss of biodiversity, a theme echoed in his exhortation ‘Laudate Deum’. Beyond the spiritual sphere, there is also the UN program outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development… The apiary at Nocetum is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary and stands as a symbol of life… Finally, I would like to recall the speech that Archbishop Monsignor Delpini addressed to our city, Milan, on the occasion of the recent feast of Saint Ambrose”.

“The Cistercians have always worked with the land. – Opened Father Stefano Zanolini. – And in their work, they were, and still are, in direct contact with biodiversity. My predecessors entered the monastery in search of God: this did not mean being closed off to the laws inscribed in nature, which call for the stewardship of creation. They were immersed in a world of relationships, a world characterized by an immense variety of factors. They engaged in deforestation, reforestation, animal husbandry, water and fish reserves, and product processing. Beyond the fundamental search for God, there was the maintenance of the monastery and reaching out to others. This balance could be severely tested by negative elements. It was a balance built on reciprocal relationships, beneficial to all and enjoyed by everyone, a stable equilibrium regulated by the Rule of Saint Benedict. The interactions among brothers could foster positive or negative, balanced or unbalanced, relationships. The Benedictine Rule does not depict a perfect community, but a human one… Without relationships, one dies. To live is to connect with the surrounding world, to build an atmosphere of mutual trust. ‘Let the monks show each other honour and respect’, prescribes Saint Benedict. Relationships bring warmth and colour. The colour of a person is the colour of their relationships, of our relationships… Benedict, in his Rule, places the human being at the centre… Caring for humanity ensures that the journey continues”.

“I think of Casa della Carità – emphasized Don Colmegna – as a place that listens to the cry of the poor. In Abbeys, the guesthouse was synonymous with hospitality. Today, we need monasteries, guesthouses, silence around us. We need to see the colours of the rainbow again… I think of the cry of that eleven-year-old girl, alone on that boat crossing the Mediterranean. Why do we not hear her cry? Why are we indifferent, insensitive, and passive?…”.

“The colour of war-torn rubble is grey – said Livia Pomodoro, addressing Don Colmegna. – So I would like to ask you: what is the colour of the future that awaits us?”

“Colours inspire the desire for the future… The rainbow evokes wonder, but unfortunately, young people no longer feel wonder – there is no more amazement!”…

The event was concluded by Professor Annastella Gambini.

“Biodiversity is intrinsic to life and has developed alongside it. When we analyse the soil, which is like the skin, the membrane of our planet, we can find, in just one hundred grams of earth, approximately one hundred billion bacteria, five hundred different species of protozoa, and ten thousand nematodes. The soil must indeed be considered a living organism in itself… Why must biodiversity be safeguarded? Just consider that 40% of the medicines we take come from plants… Therefore, protecting all of the planet’s ecosystems and their natural variety means investing in the future of our health and, ultimately, in the future of humanity”.

After a video message from Maestro Fabio Vacchi, the concert “Archiworld: The World as a Great Orchestra” by the Archimia Quartet brought the event to a close on December 12. In the packed Chapter Hall of Morimondo, the notes of Dvořák resonated alongside pieces by Britney Spears and Harold Arlen, blending classical music with contemporary melodies.