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English presentation

TASKS AND ACTIVITIES

Arpa stands for "Agenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e l´Ambiente dell´Emilia-Romagna" (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). It was established under the Regional Law nr. 44 of April 19th, 1995 and subsequent amendments.

Arpa is a public institution that gives technical support to regional, district and local Authorities on environmental policy, with the following functions, activities and tasks:

monitoring and modelling of the various environmental components
management and surveillance of the environmental and territorial impacts of human activities
activities relevant to environmental impact assessment of plans and projects
creation and management of the regional environmental information system
drafting of soil, water and air quality improvement plans
research relevant to the development of environmental protection issues in production cycles (Life Cycle Assessment, Best Available Techniques, etc.)

Arpa collaborates with Ispra, the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, the National Civil Protection System, the European Environment Agency as well as other regional Arpas and Italian, European and international institutes and research centers.

MISSION AND VISION

Integrated environmental-territorial-health protection and support to the Region´s environmentally sustainable policies are goals common to Arpa´s activities and constitute the basic elements of the Agency´s mission. Arpa operates an environmental management and control system which integrates activities pertaining to the verification of and the compliance with regulations and standards by studying and analyzing the causes of environmental degradation and their relative effects.

Arpa´s objectives are accomplished through the adoption of continuously evolving organisation and implementation strategies.

Mission
Environmental monitoring to protect health, ecosystems and territorial safety and to promote the use of resources within a framework of sustainable development.

Vision
To develop and promote, in collaboration with public and private subjects, the processes for regulation and for prevention, aiming at improving the system´s environmental quality and at safeguarding the population´s health, through network services capable of producing and exchanging knowledge and innovation.

ARPA´S ORGANIZATION

The Agency has identified the "network" as the most suitable organizational geometry to respond to its complex requirements to provide services. This network has operational "nodes" located throughout its regional territory (nine provincial Districts), two thematic regional operational nodes and a central integration and support Directorate devoted to coordinating activities and general, technical and administrative management.

The regional thematic operational nodes are:

The Hydro-Climate-Meteorological Service
Responsible for the operational research and development activities regarding meteorology, climatology, agrometeorology, radar-meteorology, hydrographology, hydrology and environmental meteorology. It provides short and medium term regional forecasts and local nowcasting, along with agrometeorological products and information. It operates an integrated regional hydro-meteorological gauging network. It is the regional center for the national information system which supports the Italian Civil Protection Service and also the National Center for Numerical Weather Prediction.

The Daphne oceanographic Structure
Responsible for monitoring the coastal marine ecosystems, using an oceanographic motor vessel equipped for studying and observing the evolution of the Northern Adriatic ecosystem. It provides specialized biochemical and analytical services supporting ecosystem safeguard, besides developing plans and projects for the improvement and protection of the marine environment.

INTEGRATION AND ACTIVITY SPECIALIZATION

Over the years, Arpa´s operational District nodes have developed high standards of technical expertize, giving rise to a number of further specialized regional thematic centers (CTRs) aiming at:

continuous instrumental updating for the analysis and integrated interpretation of ecosystems;
development of new methods and technological upgrading of all activities related to the monitoring of environmental components;
centralization of analytical activities, requiring particular technologies and equipment, in specialized laboratories;
development of the regional environmental information system in collaboration with other public institutions and authorities;
promotion of training initiatives in order to develop environmental skills and knowledge.

These further Regional Thematic Centres (CTRs) are: