Life Lagoon Refresh - Coastal lagoon habitat (1150*) and species recovery by restoring the salt gradient increasing fresh water input. Management measures in the northern Venice Lagoon (NE, Italy).

The northern Venice Lagoon (SCI IT3250031) holds several Annex I-listed habitats of the Habitats Directive, such as the 1150* (Coastal lagoons). Recent monitoring activities showed that conservation status of the habitat 1150*is improving within SCI IT3250031, but it is still unfavourable in the inner landward areas, due to lack of ecotonal buffer areas, favouring self-regulation processes, between lagoon and mainland. In the past, the project area was occupied by reed beds in large amounts, now significantly receded due to increasing of lagoon water salinity, caused by historical human activities (e.g. diversion of rivers with reduction of freshwater supply, inlet and channel excavation). With reduction or disappearance of reed beds, their contribution to ecosystem services, like supporting numerous biological communities and species, are minimised. The LIFE LAGOON REFRESH project, started on Sept 2017, foresees the restoration of favourable conservation status of habitat 1150* in the northern Venice Lagoon and the recreation of favourable habitats for faunal species of community interest. The project actions involve: diversion of a freshwater flow from the Sile river into the lagoon (necessary for the recreation of the typical salt gradient of buffer areas between lagoon and mainland); restoration of intertidal morphology through the implementation of structures properly arranged to slow down the freshwater dispersion and to favour reed development; planting of Phragmites australis to accelerate the development of the reed beds; transplantation of small dumps of seagrass species of the habitat 1150*, suitable to accelerate the recolonization by aquatic plants of low-salinity environments. The project aims to exploit the ecosystem services resulting from the recreation of a typical estuarine system to: counteract the depletion of lagoon bottom and fish communities; reduce eutrophication through reed bed phytoremediation function, favouring the presence of sensitive species and high ecological value aquatic plants; improve conservation status of bird species, including those listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive; increase the presence of fish species, listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. The restoration of salinity gradients will also contribute to increase biodiversity in the Natura 2000 net work site, and to help achieving targets defined by the 2020 Biodiversity Strategy.