Diapositiva 1

1
Environmental Value of Constructed Salt Marshes
and Beaches Dott. Francesco Scarton SELC
2
Environmental Value ofConstructed Wetlands and
Beachesoutline

• Constructed wetlands and beaches have been
  monitored
• for vegetation and wildlife
• The Neo-formation habitats have evolved
• exhibiting features comparable to the natural
  habitat ones
• Examples of the effect of Management works
• New Management Activities on
• Costructed Salt marshes, tidal flats and beaches

3
Natural salt-marsh vegetation series
4
Monitoring stages of evolution
One year after construction
7 years later
5
Vegetation species after 4 years
6
Constructed salt marshes extension of relevant
habitats (according to the E.C. Habitat
Directive)
of priority concern
42 of artificial salt marsh
60 of natural salt marsh
Over the last 20 years neo-formation habitats in
constructed salt marshes outbalanced the losses
in the natural salt marshes
7
Constructed salt marsh Value for breeding birds
8
Importance at the Venetian Lagoon level and at
the National level
Listed in the Birds Directive, appendix 1
9
Conclusions

• Constructed salt marshes are extremely
  important for the conservation of rare or
  endangered birds, expecially for reproduction.
• The Venetian constructed salt marshes are also
  important at the National level for 7 species,
  4 of which are specially protected by the
  European legislation.
• The sites are used by species (such as Little
  Tern or Kentish Plovers) that find very few
  suitable habitats elsewhere (undisturbed tidal
  flat and beaches).
• For maintaining the high number of breeding
  the constructed salt marshes need to be managed
• (vegetation cutting, pond creation, etc.)

10
Management works in constructed salt marsh tidal
creek and pond creation

• new habitat for fish, insects, molluscs and
  aquatic vegetation
• increase food availability for birds
• increase mass and energy exchanges with tidal
  flats

11
Management work in Chioggia Vegetation
development after pond and tidal creek creation
1998
2002
2005
12
Environmental Value ofConstructed Beaches
13
Constructed Beaches

• 9 km of constructed beaches are a suitable area
  for dune vegetation, rare insects and birds
• Less disturbed sites exibit higher biodiversity
• After a rapid colonisation, some species are now
  declining or have disappeared, mainly due to
  anthropic pressures
• new beaches act as a corridor in between existing
  valuable sites (Alberoni, Ca Roman)

14
Observed trends for two breeding species
Little Tern
Kentish Plover
15
New beaches are ecological corridors for rare
species of insects with limited mobility
16
New Management Activities on Costructed Salt
marshes, tidal flats and beaches

• Proposal to the EU Office Natura 2000 of
• New measures to compensate and to restore the
  Sites of Community Importance,SIC, and Special
  Protection Area, ZPS, interested by the flood
  barrier construction at the lagoon inlets

17
The proposed new measures

• The new measures have structural (S)
• and/or functional (F) ecological aims
• creation of new areas where the habitats of
  interest will take place (S,F)
• inclusion of existing target habitats into SICs
  through their enlargement (S,F)
• provision of new habitats for nesting, feeding,
  resting (F)

18
Six lines of action

• Salt marshes reconstruction
• Tidal flats creation
• Littoral habitat creation (beaches and dunes)
• Submerged habitat creation (with sea-grass
  transplanting)
• Enlargement and restoration/management activities
  in existing SIC (with Regione Veneto)
• Amelioration of some ZPS (e.g., flooding of
  existing crop lands at the Lagoon southern
  borders)