LIFE NATURA PROJECT: “CONCERTED ACTIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY ON THE VENETO COAST”

50% CO-FINANCED BY EUROPEAN UNION

Year of European Commission approvation: 2003
Project amount : 1.350.000 €uro
Duration : 3 years
Beginning: 1st Genuary of 2004

Objective

According to European Union proposals, the LIFE project aims are to conserve and increase biodiversity in Veneto coast habitats, and to improve the local natural habitats and species of wilde flora and fauna. All the project areas are included in Natura 2000 Network.

Partners

  • Veneto Agricoltura, regional agency for agricolture and forestry is the beneficiary of funding (the leader partner), and manages 2 of the 13 project sites;

  • Regional Forest Service of Treviso/Venezia is a partner and manages all project sites in the Venice province;

  • Regional Forest Service of Padova/Rovigo is a partner and manages all project sites in the Rovigo province.

Subcontractors

  • WWF Italy: producing maps of habitats, monitoring wild fauna and flora, and supporting partners in communication actions;

  • Gruppo di Studi Naturalistici Nisoria: planning and data processing of wild fauna monitoring;

  • Dott. Daniele Sommaggio: invertebrates monitoring.
     

Areas

The project involves sites of european conservation concern (SIC) and special protection areas (ZPS) along the Veneto coast:

  • Mouth of Tagliamento river (Bibione, VE) - sic IT3250033

  • Valle Vecchia of Caorle (VE) - sic IT3250033

  • Pine forest of Eraclea and Mort Lagoon (VE) - sic IT3250013

  • Coast biotopes of Peninsula of Cavallino (Cą Ballarin, Cą Savio, Punta Sabbioni, VE) - sic IT3250003

  • Coast biotopes of Venice Lido (Alberoni, Cą Roman, VE) - sic IT3250023

  • Nordio forest and Sant’Anna Forest in Chioggia (VE) - sic IT3250032

  • Mouth of Adige river, shores of Rosolina and Port of Caleri (RO) - sic IT3270017

  • Dunes of Rosolina and Volto (RO) - sic IT3270003 - IT3270004 - IT3270005 -IT3270006

  • Fossil dunes of Ariano Polesine (RO) - sic IT3270005 -IT3270006

Actions

  • Preparatory actions (maps of the habitats for all project sites, guide-lines of management, executive planning of actions);

  • Direct local actions (restoration of tall humid herb grasslands, dry dune habitats and pine forest areas);

  • Communication actions (web, brochure, public meetings).

Aspected products and results:

  • Restoration of about 2.8 km of man-made channels, and of about 5 ha of wet habitats;

  • Restoration of about 40 ha of dry grassland;

  • Restoration of about 150 ha of pine forest coast areas;

  • Modification of about 200 m of fencing and realization of an underpath for wild fauna;

  • Increasing of a nursery for herbal coastal species;

  • Increasing of an information point for schools and researches;

  • Realization of about 60 information panels, 5 km of paths for visitors, 2 km of fencing, 5 km of hedges with thorny shrubs, ecc.;

  • Organization of 12 public meeting with stakeholders;

  • Production of at least 10.000 copies of spreading folders; - Production of at least 10.000 copies of a technical handbook for management;

  • Creation of a database with scientific and legal information about sites;

  • Realization of this web site.

Surviving biotopes of coastal dunes in the italian Northern Adriatic have a great biological importance for plant species and communities, but they are strongly menaced by human activities, in particular sea-side tourism and urbanization.
Almost all dunal sites concerned by this LIFE project are covered by pine forests planted during the last century on natural vegetation, which was damaged, sometimes loosing former habitats and species. Anyway, these sites preserve an important natural heritage, in particular because plant communities include rare species and endemic association. This is mainly due to the geographical position of the Veneto coast, a place in which one can meet plants coming from Alps and central Europe (Erica carnea, Pinus nigra ssp. austriaca ecc.) and from the mediterranean regions, such Quercus ilex, Phyllirea angustifolia, Rubia peregrina ecc. More, many different habitats, typical of dunal successions, including xeric grasslands (“Grey dunes”), backdune wet grasslands (Eriantho-Schoenetum nigricantis), Juniperus communis shrubland ecc, support a diversity of wild species of fauna and flora, giving an opportunity to interesting animal species related to semi-open habitats, such Caprimulgus europaeus.
Main problems are due to tourism pressure, sea erosion, presence of invasive non-native plants; artificial pine forests too need to be managed in a more biodiversity-aimed way.
This project tries to increase the naturalistic value of Natura 2000 dune sites along the Veneto coast. All sites are managed directly by the three partners, so the first step was to adopt a common guide-line document. This is downloadable in the “Documenti” section (in italian).
Then project includes direct actions on dry and wet habitats, and on pine forests. All this actions according to the principles and to the good practices described in the guide-line document.
On the other hand, project gives a great importance to communication, mainly to stakeholders but also to the great public.
In the “Litorale veneto” section, latin names of the main species and habitats for each site are findable.