About Leonardo
Bio
Journalist and science popularizer, in 2008 he has been world record holder of extreme apnea "under ice" in the specialty of dynamics no fins (DNF).
During 2002-2007 he was member of the board of directors at “Geo-Peleontological Museum Castello di Lerici” working on Annual Report, daily administration, event planning, partnership agreements, exhibitions, conferences, employee relations and public institutional relations.
In 2005, he has been Consultant at Cultural Activities at “National Park of Cinque Terre”, working on Planning, organization, and management of cultural, educational and entertainment events.
For several years, he has been involved in scientific research in the underwater and hyperbaric field as author and co-author of several scientific publications, participating in the "Otosub" working group and collaborating with the hyperbaric center of Sassari and the Sports Medicine center of the University of Padua, winning several national and international awards.
In 2012 he attended the "IX Information course for journalists on knowledge and risk prevention in crisis areas" promoted by the Ministry of Defense and the "FNSI". He has often collaborated as an "embedded" journalist with the Italian Armed Forces during this year.
Since 2010 to 2014 he was a "journalist on the seabed" for the "pink" pages of the Italian daily newspaper dedicated to sports coverage ("La Gazzetta dello Sport") where he also managed the thematic blog "Senza Respiro".
Since 2019, he is a member of the "IUCN CEC", the Commission for Education and Communication of the World Union for the Conservation of Nature and he has been part of the Management Assembly of the “Portofino WAP”, dealing with protection, safeguarding of the environment, research planning and financial management.
He directs the information network "GGNews" and the famous underwater magazine "Il Mondo Sommerso" which he helped to refund.
He is the founder and president of the environmental association "5 Terre Academy".
He is the coordinator, since 2018 of the volunteers of the diving division of the "WWF Italy" called "WWF SUB": with Mrs. Donatella Bianchi, the Italian Coast Guard, and its underwater division, he supported the removal of lost or abandoned fishing equipment and coastal monitoring activities.
From 2001 he has participated in many commissions, working groups and in meetings at municipal, regional and national level (Chamber and Senate) on issues such as legality, environment, employment, drafting, proposing and working on new policies.
Awarded the Golden Trident in 2018 by the International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Techniques, from 2019 to 2022 he is a member of the Board of Directors.
Honorary Citizen of the Island of Ustica since 2018, in the same year he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his commitment to the environment.
In 2022, he is one of the "European Climate Pact Ambassadors" of the European Parliament on the issue of environmental sustainability and one of the Ambassadors of "One Ocean Foundation".
He is Brand Ambassador of the French diving equipment company "Beuchat", (since 2019) he recently became a member of the exclusive "The Explorers Club" in New York.
Areas of expertise
Diving, Science, Sea, Technology, Underwater domain