New strategic goals and organizational solutions in large R&D labs: lessons from Centro Ricerche Fiat and Telecom Italia Lab

The issue of corporate R&D management has become particularly relevant during the last decade, since many industrial sectors experienced growing complexity in their research areas and increasing constraints in budgets devoted to R&D activities. This paper discusses the cases of the ICT and automotive sectors, exploring the changes in managerial procedures and strategies that two of the largest corporate research centres in Italy (Telecom Italia Lab and Centro Ricerche Fiat) adopted during a delicate phase of transition. Both cases are characterized by a growing pressure towards the effective integration of short-term and long-term perspectives, i.e. towards a balance between valorization of research results and competencies, and exploration of new technological trajectories. The solutions adopted by the two organizations are explored and discussed. Specifically, while TiLab focused on the promotion of controlled spin-off companies, CRF has been very active in local technology transfer, especially in favour of SMFs

Quantitative conservation geography

Ongoing biodiversity loss represents the erosion of intrinsic value of living nature, reduces the contributions nature provides to people, and undermines efforts to move towards sustainability. We propose the recognition of quantitative conservation geography as a subfield of conservation science that studies where, when, and what conservation actions could be implemented in order to mitigate threats and promote sustainable people-nature interactions. We outline relevant methods and data needed in quantitative conservation geography. We also discuss the importance of filling information gaps, for example by using emerging technologies and digital data sources, for the further advancement of this subfield. Quantitative conservation geography can help inform the implementation of national and international conservation actions and policy to help stem the global biodiversity crisis.Peer reviewe

3D CAMERAS ACQUISITIONS FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. Photography has always been considered as a valid tool to acquire information about reality. Nowadays, its versatility, together with the development of new techniques and technologies, allows to use it in different fields of application. Particularly, in the digitization of built heritage, photography not only enables to understand and document historical and architectural artifacts but also to acquire morphological and geometrical data about them with automated digital photogrammetry. Nowadays, photogrammetry enables many tools to give virtual casts of reality by showing it in the way of point cloud. Although they can have metric reliability and visual quality, traditional instruments &amp;ndash; such as monoscopic cameras &amp;ndash; involve a careful planning of the campaign phase and a long acquisition and processing time. On the contrary, the most recent ones, based on the integration of different sensors and cameras, try to reduce the gap between time and results. The latter include some systems of indoor mapping who, thanks to 360&amp;deg; acquisitions and SLAM technology, reconstruct the original scene in real time in great detail and with a photorealistic rendering. This study is aimed at reporting a research evaluating metric reliability and the level of survey detail with a Matterport Pro2 3D motorized rotating camera, equipped with SLAM technology, whose results have been compared with point clouds obtained by image-based and range-based processes.</p

Towards a phenotype of the amphibious company:an illustrative case from the chemical industry

The paper explores the phenotype of the amphibious company, which is intended as the fittest economic species in today’s hypercompetitive business arenas and hence the most likely to survive and prosper. Four behavioral traits are proposed and discussed as distinctive of amphibious companies: doing different jobs good, diversifying in multiple market arenas, brokering and bridging across business networks and absorbing knowledge from the outside. The paper illustrates these arguments through a paradigmatic case study of an Italian firm operating in the chemical industry, which has been able to survive a challenging crisis by adopting an amphibious behavior.<br

Mapping the online songbird trade in Indonesia

Wildlife trade, when unsustainable, can be an important threat to biodiversity conservation. In this contribution, we explored the use of digital data to investigate the online market for songbirds in Indonesia, where keeping pet songbirds is a deeply rooted cultural practice. We examined the spatial characteristics of three dimensions of the songbird trade using data from online sources: birdwatchers’ sightings as a proxy for the supply of the songbird market, small advertisements from an online marketplace platform, representing the trade itself and its transactions, and videos by pet songbird owners to represent the demand side of the songbird market. We found that, geographically, these three stages of the songbird supply chain did not overlap, which potentially hints at the roles extended transport networks and commercial captive breeding play for the songbird trade. The trade was not confined to major cities but spread out through the country, indicating both a possible democratisation of the trade (i.e. a larger group of sellers, and consumers selling to consumers) and an opportunity to observe previously covert parts of the trade. We further found that the asking prices on online marketplaces were significantly higher than the prices stated in an independently carried out consumer survey, and discuss possible reasons. Data from digital sources can give rich insights into the spatial, temporal and taxonomic structure of wildlife trade, can help understand the motivations of buyers and sellers, and can help direct wildlife trade towards a more sustainable fashion. Our methodology toolbox that allows automatic and continuous monitoring of online marketplaces and includes data preparation and cleaning, and follows the highest standards of data privacy principles, is openly available.Peer reviewe

Synergies and trade-offs between renewable energy extraction and biodiversity conservation - a cross-national multi-factor analysis

Increased deployment of renewable energy can contribute towards mitigating climate change and improving air quality, wealth and development. However, renewable energy technologies are not free of environmental impacts; thus, it is important to identify opportunities and potential threats from the expansion of renewable energy deployment. Currently, there is no cross-national comprehensive analysis linking renewable energy potential simultaneously to socio-economic and political factors and biodiversity priority locations. Here, we quantify the relationship between the fraction of land-based renewable energy (including solar photovoltaic, wind and bioenergy) potential available outside the top biodiversity areas (i.e. outside the highest ranked 30% priority areas for biodiversity conservation) within each country, with selected socio-economic and geopolitical factors as well as biodiversity assets. We do so for two scenarios that identify priority areas for biodiversity conservation alternatively in a globally coordinated manner vs. separately for individual countries. We show that very different opportunities and challenges emerge if the priority areas for biodiversity protection are identified globally or designated nationally. In the former scenario, potential for solar, wind and bioenergy outside the top biodiversity areas is highest in developing countries, in sparsely populated countries and in countries of low biodiversity potential but with high air pollution mortality. Conversely, when priority areas for biodiversity protection are designated nationally, renewable energy potential outside the top biodiversity areas is highest in countries with good governance but also in countries with high biodiversity potential and population density. Overall, these results identify both clear opportunities but also risks that should be considered carefully when making decisions about renewable energy policies

Developing a global indicator for Aichi Target 1 by merging online data sources to measure biodiversity awareness and engagement

Due to the importance of public support in fostering positive outcomes for biodiversity, Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 aims to increase public awareness of the value of biodiversity and actions that help to conserve it. However, indicators for this critical target have historically relied on public-opinion surveys that are time-consuming, geographically restricted, and expensive. Here, we present an alternative approach based on tracking the use of biodiversity-related keywords in 31 different languages in online newspapers, social media, and internet searches to monitor Aichi Target 1 in real-time, at a global scale, and at relatively low cost. By implementing the indicator, we show global patterns associated with spatio-temporal variability in public engagement with biodiversity topics, such as a clear drop in conversations around weekends and biodiversity-related topic congruence across culturally similar countries. Highly divergent scores across platforms for each country highlight the importance of sourcing information from multiple data streams. The data behind this global indicator is visualized and publicly available at Biodiversity Engagement Indicator.com and can be used by countries party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to report on their progress towards meeting Aichi Target 1 to the' Secretariat. Continued and expanded monitoring using this indicator will provide further insights for better targeting of public awareness campaigns.Peer reviewe

Trophy hunting certification

Adaptive certification is the best remaining option for the trophy hunting industry in Africa to demonstrate sustainable and ethical hunting practices that benefit local communities and wildlife conservation

Consequences of recreational hunting for biodiversity conservation and livelihoods

The widespread activity of recreational hunting is proposed as a means of conserving nature and supporting livelihoods. However, recreational hunting-especially trophy hunting-has come under increasing scrutiny based on ethical concerns and the arguments that it can threaten species and fail to contribute meaningfully to local livelihoods. We provide an overview of the peer-reviewed literature on recreational hunting of terrestrial birds and mammals between 1953 and 2020 (> 1,000 papers). The most-studied species are large mammals from North America, Europe, and Africa. While there is extensive research on species' ecology to inform sustainable hunting practices, there is comparably little research on the role of local perceptions and institutions in determining socioeconomic and conservation outcomes. Evidence is lacking to answer the pressing questions of where and how hunting contributes to just and sustainable conservation efforts. We outline an agenda to build this evidence base through research that recognizes diverse social-ecological contexts.Peer reviewe