Riccardo's profile

Riccardo Scalera is a naturalist and conservation biologist with nearly 30 years of professional experience in wildlife management, vertebrate ecology, and European environmental policy.

Operating at the critical interface of science and policy, Riccardo is a leading expert on biological invasions. For over 25 years, he has provided technical and scientific advice on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) to major international institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity). More recently, his work has expanded into exploring the nexus between biological invasions and the One Health approach.

He possesses deep expertise in EU nature legislation (e.g., the EU Regulation on IAS, Habitats and Birds Directives) and the sustainable exploitation of natural resources (CITES and EU Wildlife Trade regulations). Furthermore, Riccardo has over 20 years of experience as a senior expert evaluating and monitoring EU-funded projects, particularly within the LIFE Programme and Horizon Europe, collaborating with various EU agencies such as CINEA, JRC, REA, and the EEA.

His international track record spans projects across more than ten countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the UK, and New Zealand, working with organizations like IUCN International and the WWF-European Policy Programme. At the national level, he has advised the Ministries of Environment in both Italy and Denmark, alongside clients such as ISPRA, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the University of Rome, and the Rome Zoo (Bioparco). 

A walk in the Majella mountains, Italy. Photo © Riccardo Scalera

An accomplished environmental communicator and journalist, Riccardo has authored hundreds of scientific papers, technical reports and popular magazine articles (a list of selected publications is available here). From 2007 to 2014, he also coordinated the international team of experts supporting the European Commission (DG ENV) in selecting LIFE+ Information and Communication projects.. 

For further information please contact Riccardo at Scalera.Riccardo(at)gmail.com