Biodiversity and protected areas

Ahead of the conference “Biodiversity and the Natura 2000 Network in Trentino”, scheduled for 29 October, the SAT Mountain Environment Protection Commission is organising a series of three in-depth meetings to help participants approach the autumn event with a greater understanding of the issues. Presentations, discussions and exchanges of views to reflect on the themes of sustainability and nature conservation.

The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Pastures and Shepherds, highlighting the value of pastures and herding for the protection of biodiversity, food security and climate change mitigation.
Below are all the initiatives in Trentino.

Finanziati interventi per oltre un milione di euro fino al 2028

The survey on the perceived value of UNESCO awards aims to go beyond a reading centred on individual sites or awards, adopting a systemic perspective. The objective is to understand how the different designations are perceived by the different publics (whether as separate entities or as components of a unified system), and to what extent they contribute in an integrated manner to the enhancement of the natural, cultural and social heritage of the provincial territory.

A research team led by MUSE - Trento Science Museum has identified a new location in Val di Sella (Valsugana) for the Aurora salamander (Salamandra atra aurorae), an important discovery for the ecology and conservation of this small endemic amphibian, one of the rarest and most threatened in Italy.

Experts surveyed a brood in Val di Rabbi, in the Stelvio National Park. One of the young took its first flight on 16 July.
Extinct in the Alps in the 1930s, the bearded vulture was the subject of a reintroduction project in the Alpine arc in the 1990s - 2000s, which the Stelvio National Park also joined with the release of young bearded vultures from zoos. Twenty years ago, in a nest in the Braulio Valley, Stelvio was born, the first wild bearded vulture to be born in Italy and the second ever in the European Alps.

Mowing in peatlands to promote biodiversity and keep the water body open; restoring watercourses to their natural state; monitoring crayfish populations; conserving bat breeding and hibernation sites; and combating invasive species.
These are the activities planned for Trentino between 2024 and 2032 as part of the European LIFE NatConnect2030 project.

The first major restoration project involving peatlands and wetlands at the “Taio di Nomi” Provincial Nature Reserve has been completed.
Wetlands are habitats of considerable importance for biodiversity, but their conservation status is not always favourable, particularly in lowland areas which face pressure from land use, often involving industrial sites, infrastructure and agricultural land.
It is therefore essential to ensure the survival of the last remaining patches of this type of habitat.

Among all the activities planned in Trentino in the LIFE NatConnect2030 project, actions are already underway to improve the conservation status of the crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) population and its habitat.
This is an autochthonous crustacean that lives in the watercourses and lakes of Trentino and plays a very important role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem in which it lives.

We have begun an initial study and carried out some measures in bat conservation areas, where certain species are subject to special protection (they are listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive).
Two very important breeding sites have been identified: the Mezzolombardo air-raid shelter and the Forte Alto di Mattarello, where measures are planned to minimise disturbance to the animals, along with cleaning work and the restoration of fences and gates.