Habitat connection and improvement along the ecological corridor between the Alps and the valley

Sara Barbieri – Province of Environment and Energy Unit

10-11 December 2014 Third Annual Conference of the European Learning Network on Regions and Biodiversity Natura 2000 in action!

Coordinating beneficiary Associated beneficiaries Co-financer Where?

Antropogenic fragmentation

Pressures from urbanisation and transport on semi-natural areas

Low Middle High

EEA - www.eea.europa.eu Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Project area http://natura2000.eea.europa.eu Corine Land Cover 2006 Province of Varese Region

Artificial Agricultural Forest seminatural

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Lombardia Region Ecological Network

Primary corridors / low or Regional Protected moderate antropogenic level Areas Primary corridors / high antropogenic level Regional Parks, Natural Primary level elements Reserves, Local Parks, Second level elements Passageway to be Natural Monuments restored 23,6% of regional land Passageway to be maintained Natura2000 sites 242 sites 15% of regional land

Is the most populous region in Italy: one-sixth of Italy's population lives here (about 10 million people) Produces one fifth of Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer TICINO CoordinatingPO beneficiary RIVER Italy's GDP RIVER

Campo dei Fiori–Ticino Maggiore Lake Campo dei Fiori RP ecological corridor

Is one of the last connections linking the Alps and the Po Lake Plain (and then the Appennines) and can help Lake of Varese wildlife to face climate change Brabbia Marsh Contributes to biodiversity conservation connecting protected areas: 2 Natural Parks, 13 SCIs, 5 SPAs and 2 Ticino River RP Natural Reserves, crossing 50 Municipalities Regional Parks

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Natural reserves

www.cartografia.provincia.va.it SCI, SPA

Pre-LIFE stage: step 1

NATURA 2000VA PROJECT (2007-2008) naturalistic studies identified ecological corridors able to connect Natura2000 sites for target species analys of present and future use for these areas according to the Spatial Land Plans of PV and Municipalities The identified corridors almost overlay the existing Ecological Network of the Province of Varese (contained in PV Spatial Land Master Plan 2007) Campo dei Fiori-Ticino is the area subjected to higher pressure There are very narrow critical areas=primary passageways in which connectivity is under high risk or already needs to be restored There's a consistent continuous loss of connectivity outside N2000sites resulting from Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer completely legal economic practices and local planning decisions Pre-LIFE stage: step 2

BIODIVERSITY NETWORK PROJECT Ecological connections for biodiversity (2009-2011)

In-depht analysis of Campo dei Fiori-Ticino corridor concrete actions to answer the needs identified by naturalistic studies: - defragmentation of passageways Feasibility study - habitat improvement in semi-natural areas feasibility of these actions from both technical and local spatial planning point of view

Analysis of legislative and planning instruments able to effectively protect the corridor Towards the Identify the stakeholders to inform and to involve Network Agreement in the ecological network management

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer The governance challenge

Prescriptive regulations Ecological Network 2008-9 Lombardia Region EN Natura 2000 sites 2007 Province of Varese EN - Spatial Land 1979 Birds Directive Master Plan (Guidelines for EN management) 1992 Habitat Directive 1997 DPR n. 357 National Regulation (now DPR n. 120/2003) The ecological network hadn't got Various DGR Regional regulations a prescriptive value over local planning and projects outside Protected Areas Natura2000 sites/protected areas 1991 National Framework Law n. 394 (especially for infrastructures and 1983 R.Law n. 86 Regional Parks, works of public utility and Natural Reserves, Local Parks, Natural projects proposed by farmers) Monuments

Environmental Impact Assessment Strategic Environmental Assessment Involve Municipalities through a For some projects and plans voluntary “Network Agreement”

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Towards the Network Agreement A bottom-up approach

From 2009 Round table with Municipalities: Plenary sessions to inform, comunicate and collect inputs from local administrators Individual meetings for a deeper analysis of specific conflicts and negotiation

In February 2011 32 Municipalities, 2 Regional Parks, Province of Varese and the partners LIPU and Cariplo Foundation signed Towards the Network Agreement a commitment to: include the EN design and the conclusions of the feasibility study in their Spatial Land Plans as soon as possible; protect areas in the EN avoiding to take decisions in their land use planning able to damage the ecological corridor and the passageways.

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Habitat Directive contains the answer

Campo dei Fiori – Ticino ecological corridor has a key role in Natura 2000 sites connection at local and european scale, helping biodiversity conservation Art. 6.3 applies to new activities foreseen even outside Natura 2000 sites, if they are likely to affect them

In 2013 the 3 Managing Authorities of SCIs and SPAs Province of Varese, Campo dei Fiori Park, Ticino River Valley Park, with the support of Lombardia Region, decided to use Art. 6.3 of Habitats Directive (Assessment of effects of plans/projects on sites) on the whole Campo dei Fiori – Ticino ecological network.

The assessment focuses on reducing land consumption and maintaining ecological connections

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Network Agreement

On 12th may 2014 41 Municipalities, together with the Province of Varese, Campo dei Fiori Park, Ticino River Park, and the partners LIPU and Cariplo Foundation signed the Network Agreement, with the commitment to protect the ecological corridor through local land planning and the Assessment of effects of plans/projects on sites (art. 6.3 of Habitat Directive).

By now, 42 Municipalities and Lombardia Region have signed the document.

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer LIFE TIB: in action!

Objectives: Partnership Improving the functionality of core areas Varese Province € 269.312 Preserving the functionality of Coordinating beneficiary corridors Re-establishing the Lombardia Region € 645.000 connectivity in critical areas Associated beneficiary Concrete actions inside and outside protected sites LIPU Onlus € 150.000 Associated beneficiary Preparatory acions 2011-13: Cariplo Foundation € 484.000 Detailed mapping and surveys Co-financer Specific projects Authorizations of public bodies European Commission € 1.545.425 Agreements with owners of land

Project budget € 3.093.737 Implementation of the actions 2013-2015

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer LIFE TIB: in action!

Defragmentation actions to help animals cross man-made barriers (target species: animals with medium and high vagility): creation of underpasses for amphibians and small/medium animals, interventions to improve connectivity along waterways. Actions to improve environmental quality (target species: animals with low vagility): small wetlands and dry stone walls, planting new Salix alba trees to be managed by pollarding, increase tree necromass in woodland, in order to increase suitable sites for saproxylic fauna Actions to fight the spread of invasive exotic species: experimentation with various techniques to remove invasive exotic water plants in the project area, such as Nelumbo nucifera and Ludwigia grandiflora Awareness-raising actions and actions aiming to strengthen the integration between land use planning and biodiversity conservation Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer

General map of actions

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Anphibians and reptiles

Recovery of 2 existing Creation of 8 small wetlands wetlands about to be filled in for amphibians reproduction

Creation of 500 m dry stone walls as Creation of 5 underpasses shelter for amphibians, reptiles, small mammals

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Mammals

Creation of 5 underpasses Improving 4 existing underpasses to cross main roads

Restore connection along 5 waterways

Bardello river Works in progress

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Saproxilic fauna

350 white willows to be managed by pollarding For larval development of Osmoderma eremita 2500 interventions to hasten exotic trees senescence: Artificially uprooted trees - Basal slits - Manual ring harking - Nesting holes - Artificial nests Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer 150 log pyramids Lucanus cervus Alien macrophytes

Experimental schedule 2013-2014 Ludwigia hexapetala in Varese Lake

Periodic mowing Manual hand-pulling Mechanical dredging Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus) in Brabbia Marsh

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Birds: impacts of power lines

Placement of bird-scaring devices on power lines Spirals on the power lines act as a visual and auditory warning (they vibrate with the wind) of the presence of power lines Insulated cross-arms avoid electrocution All works were carried out by the power line manager ENEL

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Monitoring

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer On site panels

Campaign in Varese city Communication plan Stickers album

Video production posters

leaflet

www.lifetib.it

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer Networking for training

Seminars in Universities, Local Conservation Group School programs for for technicians/public bodies teachers

Technical and scientific articles Into the CF-T e.corridor: Meetings of staff guided tours Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer researchers Conclusions

Partnership: LIPU (Nature conservation organisation), Province of Varese (Public body), Cariplo Foundation (Private foundation); later Lombardia Region and the 2 Regional Parks Multi sectoral working group: naturalists (Pavia University, FLA), local engineers and Working group "round" table land use plan experts, Lawyer Involvement of Municipalities: thanks also to the Network Agreement the effect on N2000 sites of the spatial plans of 50 Municipalities was assessed Land owners: PV operated under the legal Volunteers save anphibians framework of “works of public utility”: public BIODIVERSITY NETWORK deeds (99% based on voluntary agreements, Ecological connection for biodiversity with compensation). About 320!! Second phase (2014-2017) Volunteers/civil protection /citizens to Futher actions in Campo dei monitor and maintain what has been done Fiori-Ticino EN.. Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer The network grows…

Replication of the model in other Swizzerland Provinces and in Piemonte Region

Feasibility studies:

Piemonte

Lombardia

Landsat7

Coordinating beneficiary Associatedbeneficiaries Co-financer All pictures from LIFETIB website and reports

Thank you for your attention

Visit www.lifetib.it [email protected]

Coordinating beneficiary Associated beneficiaries Co-financer