LIFE Nature projects for transitional water management in Italy
Daniela Zaghi
unpublished
many of these areas, a Management Plan was also prepared. The main problems tackled are the erosion of the most sensitive habitats, the disapperance of water bodies, the reduction of water circulation, the attenuation of conflicts with human activities, such as hunting and presence of electric lines. The Lagoon of Venice is the biggest natural Italian lagoon, and it has been recognized as an area of the utmost importance for its naturalistic values since 1939. The most typical geomorphological
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... eatures are the saltmarshes. They are currently in strong regression: during the last century the lagoonal surface covered by saltmarshes has moved from 25 to 8%. This decrease is due to sediment reduction, and it is partially caused by the erosion of waves produced by high velocity boats. The project Saltmarshes: protection and restoration with naturalistic engineering techniques (Magi-) has tackled the problem of saltmarsh and associated species disapperance. The main objective was the restoration of saltmarshes and mudflats in specific areas. The project was carried out between 1999 and 2002, and several naturalistic engineering interventions were experimented in order to increase sand sedimentation without modifying ecological, morphological, hydrodynamic and landscape characteristics of the saltmarshes. The interventions were differentiated according to the factors affecting the area (waves, depth, erosion level). Among the tested techniques: • placement of "buzzioni" structures (low erosion) and of "burghe" structures (high erosion) in the frontal sal-tmarsh channel, to protect from erosion and control the sediment input; • creation of sedimentation areas in the saltmarsh backward area, close to the mudflats, in order to create a zone of still waters that enhance the development of pioneer halophytic plants that favour sedimentation; • fixing of an anti-erosion structures on the bottoms in the proximity of the saltmarshes, constituted by a net with floating elements that enhance bivalve and algal growth. Such structures is biodegradable and favour the sedimentation decreasing the currents; • morphological restoration of several portions of the saltmarshes; • substrate stabilization by plantation of pioneer halophytic plants.
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