Description
Extraordinary environmental improvement measures are one of the types of active management and renaturalisation of provincial nature reserves.
They may consist of:
- B1 - excavation of large ponds to encourage the reproduction of water birds
The excavation of new ponds, up to a surface area of a few thousand square metres, is one of the most significant environmental improvement measures frequently carried out in Nature Reserves. In this way, environments of great attraction for water birds are created, which are also quickly populated by many other animal species and marsh vegetation.
Examples: Fiavè, Inghiaie, Roncegno, Taio di Nomi, La Rocchetta, Foci dell'Avisio
- B2 - excavation of small ponds to encourage amphibian reproduction
In various Nature Reserves, ponds of modest size and depth have been created by digging into dry portions of land in order to provide breeding sites for amphibians.
Examples: Borghetto, Roncegno, Inghiaie, La Rocchetta, La Rupe, Tuenno, Pudro, Foci dell'Avisio, Lases
- B3 - creation of meandering ponds for biological water purification (lagooning).
In some Nature Reserves, crossed by polluted watercourses, important interventions have been carried out for the biological purification of water. In practice, the course of the watercourse has been modified by lengthening its development with a 'serpentine' course, with successive pools occupied by marsh vegetation (mainly reeds). In this way, the particles suspended in the water are deposited on the bottom and the mineral salts of the organic substances are assimilated by the plants. At the end of the course, the water quality is significantly improved. The environments thus created also become valuable habitats for plants and animals.
Examples: La Rupe, La Rocchetta
- B4 - digging channels in 'dry' reed beds to encourage the reproduction of water birds.
It is often appropriate to interrupt the natural process of drying out wetlands so that important habitats are not irreversibly lost. In lake reed beds in particular, the portion behind the shoreline is often 'dry' and therefore very poor in flora and fauna. In these cases, interventions have taken the form of digging channels from the front of the reedbed to its inner part. This has also led to an increase in the contact line between the water and the reedbed, thereby considerably increasing the breeding possibilities of waterbird species that nest on the shore.
Examples: S.Cristoforo, Lases, Taio di Nomi, Tuenno
- B5 - planting hedges
In some Nature Reserves, hedges have been planted, an intervention that improves the environment from many points of view: hedges are in fact valuable habitats for fauna, where many species can find refuge and breeding possibilities. By using shrubs that produce edible fruits, it is possible to ensure the availability of nutritious food for birds that stop over during their autumn or winter migration and also for mammals.
Examples: Foci dell'Avisio, La Rocchetta