LIFE- NATURE PROJECT 2003:
“THE SAFEGUARD OF THE HABITATS OF ECOLOGIC INTERESTS ON THE EUGANEAN HILLS”
LIFE03NAT/IT/OOO119
YEAR OF APPROVAL BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY: 2003
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Total cost of the project: 1,487,250.00 €
Payee: the Euganean Hills Regional Park
60% co-financed by the European Community
The Province of Padua takes part to the project with a share of 100,000 €
LENGTH: 4 YEARS
STARTING PERIOD: 1st OCTOBER 2003
OBJECTIVES:
The project aims at restoring and safeguarding a series of habitats of high ecological interests on the Euganean Hills where you find semi natural grassland with orchid bloom (cod. 6210)*, steppe-grassland (cod. 6110)*, oak-woods of Quercus pubescens (cod. 91H0)*, forests of Castanea sativa (cod. 9260) and wetlands which belong to the “natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition” vegetation (cod. 3150). Though in an indirect way the project aims also at preserving the flora and the fauna related to the habitats previously mentioned and many of them have been listed under the “Habitats Directive” and the “Birds Directive”.
As for the semi natural grassland, locally called “vegri”, the specific goal is to avoid its reduction due to the growth of the wood and to the cultivation of vineyards.
As far as the steppe-grassland is concerned the project aims at protecting it against the antropic impact caused by an unsustainable use of some areas of high ecological and natural value, situated in specific sites.
For what concerns the white oak woods, now threatened by coppice in order to get firewood, the project aims at promoting forest trees above all in the areas of high ecological and environmental value. Even the chestnut woods are under threat mostly due to coppicing and the objective is to safeguard some secular chestnuts of particular value in the Euganean landscape.
Finally, the project takes into consideration the wetlands in order to guarantee their biodiversity, which is in danger because of the carelessness and the lack of control which has led to a constant ecological deterioration of these areas.
The LIFE project in order to fully realize the goal of safeguarding the habitats of high naturalistic value is going to buy some lands, among which the summit of Rocca Pendice, where the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) has come back and has been nesting for two years. This species is listed in the Birds Directive I.
(*: “priority” habitats)
PROJECT WORK:
SCIENTIFIC GROUP made up of:
Prof Franco Viola: environment and communication
Prof Cesare Lasen: flowers and vegetation
Prof Alessandro Minelli: invertebrate fauna
Doc Paolo Turin: vertebrate fauna, with particular attention to water habitats
Prof. Giampaolo Rallo: vertebrate fauna, with particular attention to avifauna
Doc Silvio Bartolomei: project manager
Doc Michele Gallo: Agricultural and Forest Department Manager
Doc Renato Rosa: project technical manager
Doc Stefano Boaretto: project administration manager
MONITORING STAFF:
Mr Roberto Rizzieri Masin: flora
Mr Stefano Bottazzo: diurnal and night-birds of prey
Mr Giuseppe Giacobini: avifauna
Doc Lucio Bonato: amphibians and reptiles
Doc Enrico Negrisolo: coleoptera
Mr Marco Uliana: lepidoptera
Mr Luigi Piva
ELABORATION OF THE APPRAISAL MODEL OF THE ECOSYSTEM
Doc Tommaso Sitzia
AREAS
The project aims at operating in the following community sites:
- Euganean Hills IT3260019 (Site of Community Relevance)
- Mount Lozzo IT3260010 (Site of Community Relevance)
- Mount Ricco IT3260011 (Site of Community Relevance)
- Euganea Hills Mount Lozzo Mount Ricco IT3260017 (Area of Special Protection)
ACTION PLANS
Management Plans
Land purchase
Cleaning and restoration of grassland and of wetland
Restoration of oak-woods (Quercus pubescens)
Carrying out protections and enclosures
Carrying out small hydraulic works and buffer boscage areas
Recovering chestnuts
Periodic mowing of the vegri
Maintenance of woods
Maintenance of the banks in wetland
Arranging chestnut foliage
Exhibition of informative literature
Project technical management
Project administration management
Monitoring
EXPECTED RESULTS
- Plan for the management of semi natural grassland and of wetlands on the Euganean Hills.
- Purchasing of about 14 hectares of lands near the rocky wall of Rocca Pendice and of about 4.5 of the land on the top of Mount Ceva, which is the habitat of steppe grassland.
- Stipulation of “management agreements” for a wood surface of about 15 hectares.
- Cleaning and restoration of about 100 hectares of natural grassland.
- Restoration of 50 hectares of white oak woods.
- Carrying out of about 7,500 metres of protections and enclosures to protect steppe grassland on Mount Ceva and Rocca Pendice and of 2,500 metres for wetlands and other habitats.
- Carrying out 4 or 5 hydraulic works and transplanting 5 hectares of buffer boscage areas.
- Recovering 4 hectares of chestnuts.
- Maintenance of 100 hectares of vegri now present on the Euganean landscape.
- Maintenamce of 50 hectares of wood lands.
- Maintenance of about 3 Km of banks in wetlands and of water bodies.
- Interventions in about 4 hectares of chestnut wood.
- Exhibition of illustrative material ( 1 up-to-date web site, 40 informative posters to be placed in the territory, about 10,000 copies of a book dealing with the habitats related to the project , an informative article, a scientific article, about 5,000 copies of a final informative report in two languages )
- Arranging at least 6 annual meetings for the Scientific Board.
- Preparing periodic reports to be handed to the Board.
- Preparing a monitoring plan and annual reports.
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