(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 5 - An event at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 on Friday focused on the southern Italian region of Calabria, exploring how it could be considered "Europe's largest botanical garden".
    The Italian Dialogue event took place at the pavilion's 'Anfiteatro' venue.
    Participants learned how Calabria is a "natural laboratory" for the protection of biodiversity and a model in the Mediterranean area for economic and cultural development flanked scientific research and technological innovation.
    Due to its geographical position between two seas (the Tyrrhenian and Ionian) and its areas in the Apennines, Calabria is one of the European Union's richest zones for biodiversity.
    It has three national parks and 69 Sites of Community Importance (SCI) recognised under the European Natura 2000 Directive, 20 of which have priority status.
    Calabria is home to around 2,700 species of the 6,711 species of vascular flora in Italy.
    Many of these botanical species are extremely rare.
    Calabria is also the top Italian region for the number of farms using organic methods. (ANSA).