Within the exhibition Change! Yesterday, today, tomorrow. The Po River, Palazzo Madama presents the exhibition project The Great River, biodiversity between past and future curated by the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences, the Sustainable Development Biodiversity and Natural Areas sector of the Piedmont Region and the Asti Paleontological Park, in collaboration with the protected areas of the Piedmontese Po, Ticino and Lake Maggiore and the CRIP (Piedmont Fish Reference Center).

Over time, numerous animal species have inhabited the Great River. While some are still traceable thanks to well-preserved fossil finds, today many alien species have become inhabitants of its fresh waters, representing a danger to native biodiversity and a challenge to safeguard the peculiarities of the Po River. These - fossil finds and fish fauna - are the themes of the exhibition set up in the rooms of the Small Wardrobe and the Chinese Cabinet.

The regional protected areas that protect a large part of the areas surrounding the Great River are a fundamental element in combating habitat fragmentation, loss of biodiversity, and the invasion of alien species in a highly anthropized context such as that of the Po Valley.

Starting from the Small Wardrobe, thanks to the splendid underwater images by the photographer and videomaker Mattia Nocciola, the exhibition reveals the underwater world of fresh waters, exposing a small glimpse of the variety of native fish species that inhabit the Po River and the threats posed by the presence of invasive alien species.

Through shots taken in a natural environment, we "immerse" ourselves in the river to discover a world of beauty and fragility where biodiversity is increasingly compromised, also due to the climate emergency.