Critical Reasoning and Decision-Making Process in ethics:
Decision-making processes and ethical reasoning tools; Ethical Review Process in Conservation and Animal Welfare.

Animal Welfare Ethics:
This research line is held under the International Cooperation Agreement between the BCA Department and Colorado State University – USA.

Conservation and Wildlife Ethics and Education:
The research deals with general fundamentals of the approach that characterizes Conservation Ethics and its specific application within the International Collaborations between the BCA Department and:
- the National Zoological Gardens and Conservation Guardians - South Africa - on the development of a Welfare Index for captive elephants in tourist Interactions.
- the Leibniz Institute – Germany - on the recovery of the Northern White Rhino
- The Goethe University – Germany - on the Conservation Education;

Veterinary Medical Ethics:
The relevance of ethical tools traditionally available in human medicine to the field of veterinary medicine is being investigated. The research on Veterinary Medical Ethics is part of the International Cooperation Agreement between the BCA Department and Colorado State University - USA

Recent Projects:

“Realizzazione di un toolkit per la valutazione del benessere degli animali custoditi nei giardini zoologici” Scientific Coordinator: Sara Rota Nodari (IZSLER Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna "Bruno Ubertini", Italy). Project founded by Italian Ministry of Health. Other partners: Centro di Referenza Nazionale per il Benessere Animale (Italy); IZSUM Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche (Italy); and IZSPLV Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta (Italy).

 “BioRescue Project” for the conservation of the Northern White Rhinoceros. Consortium Coordinator: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (German). Project partners: Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine MCD (Germany); AVANTEA, Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies (Italy); Zoo Dvur Kralove (Check Republic); Kyushu University, Faculty of Medical Sciences (Japan).

“Animal-Visitor Interaction Protocol AVIP” Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare). Project partners: Zoom Torino (Italy); Department of Veterinary Science, Università di Torino (Italy); Giardino Zoologico di Pistoia (Italy); Acquario di Cattolica (Italy); Conservation Guardians (South Africa).

“Zoo Ethical Reputation Survey ZERS” Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare). Project partners: Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); Opel Zoo (Germany); Giardino Zoologico di Pistoia (Italy); Università Niccolò Cusano (Italy).

“Scientific Welfare Assessment for Captive Elephants (Loxodanta africana) and Conservation Ethics in South Africa". Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare). Project partners: UKZN University (South Africa); National Zoological Gardens (South Africa), Conservation Guardians (South Africa).

“PEACE - Progress for Ethical Assessment of Conservation Efforts” Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare).

“L’uomo e la natura nel Parco del Monte Barro” Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare). Project partners: Associazione WWF Lecco (Italy); Parco Monte Barro (Italy), Department of Political and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, (Italy); Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, (Italy).

“Involvement of Experts in Testudines Conservation in Italy” Scientific Coordinator: Barbara de Mori (Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation, and Animal Welfare).