PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Intensive agricultural activities and increasing urbanisation affect the connectivity of ecological networks with direct threat to species biodiversity. The Agro Pontino in Italy and rural areas in the island of Gozo in Malta are both important agricultural areas where land fragmentation has increased, and there are serious problems related to the abandonment and loss of agricultural land. As a consequence, the habitats necessary for the survival of species typical of agricultural areas and the quality of natural and semi-natural areas are reduced, while the isolation among natural areas is high. Appropriate governance and strategies could significantly reduce the problems linked to human impacts on watercourses, pollution, and species isolation due to habitat fragmentation.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the project was to protect biodiversity and strengthen the ecological value of agroecosystems in the Agro Pontino and Maltese rural areas, by supporting the construction of decision-making processes and governance mechanisms based on the assessment of ecosystem services, as well as initiating the definition of demonstration interventions of green infrastructure.
The project contributed to the implementation of the Habitats and Birds Directives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. It advanced the Commission’s goals concerning the building of a Green Infrastructure to strengthen natural capital in Europe (COM (2013) 249), contributed to the European Strategy on Climate Change Adaptation (COM (2013) 216) and helped to define new strategies for rural development through the collaboration between Italian and Maltese ministries.
RESULTS
The following results were achieved:
- Mapping and assessment of 7 ecosystem services for the Agro Pontino in Italy, and in Malta and Gozo Islands. Direct contribution of the optimisation of the existing databases at national and EU level;
- 1 information desk opened for farmers in Latina and 1 WebGis app containing geographic information datasets;
- 10 Land Stewardship Agreements (LSAs) signed: 5 between the Province of Latina and private landowners and 5 between MIEMA and 3 private farmers;
- 2 Agro-Biodiversity Pacts signed, one for the Agro-Pontino and one in Malta;
- 6 Guidelines for the management and/or restoration of irrigation channels, windbreaks strips, rubble walls, as well as the criteria to be integrated in the Regional Development Program;
- 7 Demonstrative interventions realised to restore or create wetlands and temporarily floded areas, strips of hygrophilous vegetation and new wooded areas. These conservation works led to an increase of the surface area of the protected habitats 6420 (2 ha), 3170 (0.8 ha) and 91F0 (2 ha) and of the number of species of Annex II of the Habitat Directive and the Red List (Vanellus vanellus, Emys orbicularis, Nyctalus noctule);
- 3 km of windbreak strips renewed and managed;
- 3 km of rubble walls restored, and 5.5 km of wildflower strips planted;
- A deep network established with 5 European projects;
- The GREENCHANGE model transferred to Lazio and Toscana protected areas;
- 980 people among interested groups and experts were reached by networking activities;
- More than 150 students and experts involved in education and training courses in both areas.
