Università degli Studi di Pavia

Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali

The Centro Studi Cetacei (Centre for Cetacean Studies) was established in 1985 as a research group belonging to the Italian Society of Natural Sciences based at the Natural History Museum of Milan. One of the most important aims was to bring together all the Italian researchers and Institutions concerned with cetaceans, encouraging cooperation and studies in this field. Nowadays, the Centro consists of more than 100 members belonging to Zoological Museums, University Departments and non-profit Institutions.
The Centro Studi Cetacei is officially recognized by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forest Resources and received permission for its activity by the C.I.T.E.S. Office of the same Ministry and by the Ministry of Environment, Service for the Conservation of Nature.
The main project carried out by CSC is a national stranding network that collects data and samples from Cetaceans found stranded or beached along the Italian coasts. This stranding project has been active since May 1986. The stranding network gives the opportunity to preserve skeletons for Museums and to carry out several researches on samples collected from each specimen. Annual reports on strandings occurring on the Italian coasts are published on the Journal "Atti della Societa' Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo civico di Storia Naturale di Milano", which is the Journal of the Societa' Italiana di Scienze Naturali. The reports published by CSC have been used for many studies and for the creation of a database on marine mammals of the Mediterranean Sea held at the NATO Saclant Undersea Research Center located in La Spezia (Italy). The database and the associated GIS have been developed within the SOLMAR project. CSC organizes the National Conference on Cetaceans and Turtles; the next meeting, the fifth, will be held in Tuscany, December 6th-9th.

A sperm whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum in Milan