An educational project at MSA Campus, University Federico II of Naples

In the present communication we introduce an educational project we are developing in our Campus, concerning the setting of a biological garden. The garden represent an important educational and didactic support to biological disciplines and can add further value to the Campus and its vocation of hosting scientific and cultural events, creating a new aggregation pole in the western area of the city The garden will hold vascular plants included within the main phyla, privileging Mediterranean flora. A small corral, within Mediterranean macchia, will include terrestrial turtles and a little section of aquatic plants will be located in a pond together with some amphibians. In addition to a small section of plants, mainly growing in southern Italy, and having ethno-botanical value will be created, privileging endemics or spontaneous varieties, covering the different uses in our Region. For these plants, suitable molecular markers will be developed in order to accomplish a molecular characterization of the local varieties (particularly within Citrus limon, cv. sfusato di Amalfi, limone di Sorrento, limone di Procida), thanks to a Molecular typification Laboratory located in our campus. This topic could reveal an useful instrument to widen ethno-botanical knowledge, and to carry out new techniques aimed to the certification of ethno-botanical product