PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Tucked into an archetypical mountain landscape near Lake Como, the Sasso Malascarpa nature reserve is marked by karst formations and the total absence of surface water. The calcareous substrate, its rugged morphology and its geographical location give rise to its peculiar botanical value. Calcareous beech forests and chasmophytic vegetation on rocky slopes are well-represented. The meadows on the summits, mainly made up of Festuco-Brometalia grasslands, are frequented by partridges while caves in the rocks host three species of bat.
Erosion at certain points has brought a dangerous instability to some slopes, while rampant proliferation of undergrowth has led to localised structural collapse of coppices, prone to wildfires. Meadows have shrunk as a result of colonisation of open spaces by trees and shrubs.
OBJECTIVES
Lombardy's regional forestry agency, beneficiary of this LIFE project, had set itself 5 overall goals targeting the restoration of the habitats and re-establishment of optimum conditions for wildlife.
To recover the submontane grasslands and safeguard nesting opportunities for passerines the beneficiary foresaw to manage grazing and to carry out biotope measures. Actions to improve the conditions of the forest and to prevent fires, such as the replacement of planted conifers with native deciduous trees and the removal of dying and fallen trees and the most inflammable bushes from the undergrowth, were to be undertaken. The beneficiary foresaw to improve the stability of the slopes through soil bioengineering works to shore them up. To reach the last of the five objectives, maintaining bat populations, E.R.S.A.F. intented to fence off the entrances to caves to stop goats disturbing breeding bats and by providing 50 artificial 'nests'.
RESULTS
The project has reached great part of the objectives. Most of the results will be more evident in the next future, due to the time necessary for the habitats and the species to reach a new equilibrium after the interventions carried out within woods and meadows.The main achievements of the project are listed below.
The forests of the reserve have been improved through the partial elimination of artificial pinewoods and the planting of 4000 local broad leaf plants. The clearings realized within the woods have permitted also the natural colonization of broad leaf plants. The results of the monitoring carried out on these areas at the end of the project have shown a significant increase of the floristic diversity. The elimination of shrubs on the calcareous cliffs should help to re create more favourable conditions for the endemic species of this habitat and the mowing of the grasslands permitted to restore the semi-natural habitat of sub-mountains grasslands. The monitoring showed an increase in the presence of Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) in the area. The prevention actions aimed at reducing the probability of fires have been carried out with the elimination of bushes and little dead plants and in fact no fire has been registered in the woods treated during the project. 52 nest-boxes for bats were placed and 24 artificial cavities realized to improve the suitability of the habitat for bats. The monitoring has evidenced an increase in the use of the dry meadows by bats, probably due to the interventions realized (cutting of meadows, removing of shrubs, plantation of autochthonous species) that have favoured a higher diversity in the vegetation and consequent better conditions for insects. Three genera of bats have been observed in the nest boxes and in the cavities (genera Plecotus, Pipistrellus and Hypsugo) but out of four species of EU interest listed in the Natura 2000 form only one has been recorded as present: Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum The beneficiary has collaborated with other parks (Parco Regionale Campo dei Fiori and Parco Regionale Montevecchia e Valle del Curone, beneficiaries of two Life-NATURE project), in relation to the management of the dry meadows and of bats population, realizing a publication on the experiences carried out in the framework of the Life projects to improve the status of the dry meadows in the Sasso Malascarpa natural reserve and in the Campo dei Fiori and Curone parks. The experiences and the results obtained by the project have been useful to elaborate the management plan of the reserve, which will cover the period 2001-2010. A wide public awareness campaign has been carried out by the beneficiary increasing the knowledge on the site among visitors and interested people. It has included the realization and diffusion of a technical brochure of 40 pages and of a CD rom illustrating the project, a leaflet on bats, a brochure on the vegetation and three types of posters on the reserve. Moreover, 5 panels on the project have been realized and placed in the visitor centre of the reserve. The educational activities have involved over 640 students of 28 different classes with excursions in the site and lessons in the visitor centre of the reserve. The activities carried out after the end of the project have been directed at maintaining and integrating the actions carried out during the Life project (in particular the prosecution of the monitoring activities and the recurring maintenance of woods and the meadows).
