Download Press Release N° 14

Press Release N° 14
THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY IS THE MASCOT OF ECOMONDO 2014
The endangered species was identified by Prof. Luciano Morselli, who also painted it.
At the expo the butterfly will also become a wonderful gadget
thanks to CIAL, Tetra Pack Italiana, Gruppo Fiori and Graepel Italia
Rimini, 22nd October 2014 – The mascot of the 2014 edition of ECOMONDO is the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippuss). For
nine years, thanks to the collaboration and artistic talent of Prof. Luciano Morselli, the expo has chosen a species risking
extinction due to pollution, climatic conditions and man’s action on the environment, which are an increasing threat to
biodiversity.
In previous years, the choice fell on the Blue Frog (2006), the Red Swallow (2007), the Green Bee (2008), the Pink Seahorse
(2009), the Blue-billed Duck (2010), the Red-tailed Salamander (2011), the American Robin (2012) and the Gold Snail (2013).
As is the tradition, at the expo, the Monarch Butterfly will become a gadget that will be distributed free of charge, made by
Tetra Pak Italiana and CIAL in collaboration with Gruppo Fiori and Graepel Italia.
Luciano Morselli – Monarch Butterfly - acrylic on Cartalatte – 18x26 cm – 2014
Butterflies are insects belonging to the "Lepidoptera" order and are particularly appreciated for their beautiful bright colours
and large wings. However, butterflies are also important indicators of biodiversity and play an important role in ecosystems, for
example by mean of’ their activity of pollination.
The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) features an orange livery with black veins and two series of white spots along the
edges of its wings. Adults’ wingspan can reach 10 cm. It is particularly widespread in America, from southern Canada to the
Amazon, and is considered a symbolic insect in many parts of the United States. In fact, every year they carry out a
spectacular mass migration, during which large groups of several million butterflies cover thousands of miles (over 3,000),
between North America and California or central Mexico, where they spend the winter. These migrations take place several
generations apart and, in fact, butterflies taking part in a specific migration are from at least two generations after those of the
previous journey.
In the last ten years, a worrying drop has been reported in the size of the population wintering in Mexico. The reason for this
decline seems to be a reduction in the availability of plants of the Asclepias species, on which the butterflies lay their eggs and
which nourish the larvae. This reduction coincides with the increasing used of (wide-spectrum) glyphosate herbicide and an
increase in plantations of genetically modified crops that are more resistant to this herbicide.
THE EXPO AT A GLANCE:
Category: International exhibition; frequency: annual; edition: 18th; admittance: trade members and general public; tickets: full-price 20
euros; free admission for children up to 6 years of age; reduced rate ticket 8 euros; University students (who must show record-book) 3
euros; hours: Hours: 9 am - 6 pm, last day 9 am - 5 pm; business unit manager: Simone Castelli; project manager: Alessandra
Astolfi; exhibitor info: tel. +39 0541 744317, e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.ecomondo.com; facebook:
www.facebook.com/EcomondoRimini; twitter: http://twitter.com/Ecomondo; official hashtag: #ecomondo
PRESS CONTACTS:
Rimini Fiera SpA Communication and Media Relations Service +39 0541 744510 [email protected];
manager: Elisabetta Vitali; press office coordinator: Marco Forcellini;
press staff: Alessandro Caprio and Nicoletta Mancini Evangelisti;
media consultant: Cesare Trevisani, Nuova Comunicazione Associati [email protected]