PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
On the southern edge of Tuscany, the proposed site of Community importance of Monte Labbro and Alta Valle dell’Albegna covers an area rich in habitats: rocky crags and gorges, and stony meadowland, but also a mosaic of farms and grazing land. Three regional nature reserves have been set up in these areas, together with a wildlife park and a WWF reserve occupying a total surface area of 1.620 of the total 6.127 ha covered by the pSCI. The site is extremely important because of the vast areas of dry grassland on calcareous substrate (Festuco-Brometalia) which is also an important orchid site, and forests in the ravines of Tilio-Acerion, plus Canis lupus and Callimorpha quadripunctaria, all of which have priority status under the Habitats Directive. The main problems in the area are erosion of the Festuco-Brometalia habitat, because of overgrazing, and too much disturbance by tourists, the uncontrolled cutting back of forests in the ravines, interference with natural watercourses, which are the habitat of C. quadripunctaria, and the effect on wolf populations of poaching.
OBJECTIVES
The Monte Labbro and Alta Valle dell’Albegna project is part of the general effort to conserve the area by different public and private authorities, and to ensure that it is managed in a way that is compatible with its special environmental and socio-economic characteristics.
The aim of the project was to protect various habitats and species of Community interest in the area, particularly the priority ones, either through direct action or by involving interest groups operating in the area. There were many different measures to be taken to tackle and reduce the various threats to the area. These included purchasing and fencing of land, bioengineering measures to conserve Festuco-Brometalia, acquiring the right to cut down forests in gorges, restoring the Onazio watercourse, the habitat of C. quadripunctaria , and protecting the wolf by keeping out poachers.
RESULTS
The project has achieved all the objectives. The measures were carried out with a good integration between local institutions, the Mountain Community, beneficiary of the LIFE project, NGOs and technical companies specialised in nature conservation. This has resulted in obtaining positive results in all the different sectors involved: nature conservation, land planning and public awareness. Coordination of all the actions was carried out successfully by two responsible: the administrative and the technical one. Among the main objectives reached there are:
the preparation of the Natura 2000 site management plan; the designation of a new SPA and the extension of the pSCI perimeter (from 6.127 to 6.300 ha); monitoring activity carried out during the project has led to the updating of the information on presence/absence of habitats/species of EU interest within the site; the purchase of land and the elimination of exotic trees guarantee the short and long term maintenance of an area including an important priority habitat "6210 Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco Brometalia) (* important orchid sites)” and the EU habitat “5130 Juniperus communis formations on heaths or calcareous grasslands”; amphibian species (i.e. Triturus carnifex) will benefit from the creation of new potential reproductive sites; the project has contributed to the increase of the Austropotamobius pallipes population through the building of a captive breeding centre; the project has introduced a monitoring activity of the habitat/species which will be continued also after the LIFE project; threats to Testudo hermanni have been significantly reduced through the creation of protected breeding area; sites importance for bat species have been protected through the closure of caves; monitoring activity has led to the discovery of the presence of a species (listed in annex IV of Habitats Directive) never recorded before in the site. surveillance against illegal fishing activities and poaching resulted in the elimination of these two threats. Before the LIFE project, the Mountain Community had not carried out any relevant nature conservation activities. The Mountain Community, which includes among its members the representatives of local communes, will now include its major activities the maintenance and the improvement of habitat/species within the Natura 2000 sites. The project has improved the ability of the Mountain Community to manage also other activities, such as forestry and agriculture, in a sustainable way. The project did not create any new job opportunities, however a number of local cooperatives were involved in carrying out part of the actions and this had a positive occupational impact. The actions carried out by the beneficiary and the partner contributed to a greater awareness on the Natura 2000 network, with the administrators of local communities. This should lead to further investments in the future to saeguard, maintain and increase the habitats and species of EU interest present within the site. The Grosseto province, which is responsible for the management and conservation of Natura 2000 within its territory, according to a recent law approved in Tuscany, has de facto delegated the responsibility for managing the “Monte Labbro” site to the Mountain Community, beneficiary of this LIFE project.
