Quaternary: Past, Presente, and Future 40 years of Italian Quaternary in an Alpine-Mediterranean perspective (Editorial)

The 2018 AIQUA congress held in Florence contributed to present the state-of-the-art and the diversity within the field of Quaternary study, the most advanced researches on climate and landscape changes, marine and terrestrial processes, and ecosystems dynamics, highlighting the contribution of young researches in promoting the comparison and enhancing the analysis of the different Quaternary evolutionary scenarios. Deciphering the complex network of mechanisms leading to the present geological setting and biodiversity status is, likewise, of crucial relevance to understand the actual meaning of the processes acting today, and to plan appropriate actions for biodiversity conservation in view of the ongoing climate warming, correct public outreaches and effective responses to societal challenges, stretching our imagination beyond the present, and collects insights into the Earth’s future scenario through a lesson from the past.