Restoration interventions of small pools for amphibians, both of community interest and locally threatened

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LIFE: Colli Berici Natura 2000

COLLI BERICI NATURA 2000 - Conservation actions, habitat and species improvement, and preservation of SIC Colli Berici nature reserve

LIFE08 NAT/IT/000362

Object

Restoration interventions of small pools for the maintenance of biotopes favourable to amphibians.

Objective

To promote the presence of amphibian species which are protected at community level or locally threatened species in the karst environment of the Colli Berici.

Good Practice Description

The main interventions concerned:

  • the restoration and re-naturalization of existing water holes
  • the new construction of pools
  • maintenance activities (to be carried out on average every 5 years to avoid mainly the soil accumulation of the pools and control the vegetation and also the fish fauna, which must be absent).

In any case, to reduce the impacts on the fauna to be preserved, interventions must be carried out in the winter period.

As regards the restoration and re-naturalization, the main interventions concerned: excavation for partially underground pools and reshaping of the banks, waterproofing of the bottom, control of invasive vegetation and autochthonous revegetation interventions, installation of fences.

Territorial Context

The Colli Berici (VI) area is a small karst hilly plateau, in which superficial hydrography is practically absent and where the water collection features for agriculture and livestock were artificially created. These small pools are also of environmental importance because they are important habitats for some amphibian species. The socio-economic changes that have involved the agricultural production of these areas have contributed to the abandonment of the maintenance practices of these pools.

Replicability conditions

The restoration and maintenance interventions can be replicated in similar contexts and to safeguard various types of amphibians. The project has also produced various technical material for dissemination and as more than 10 years have passed since the interventions, their current state of maintenance and efficiency is concrete proof of validity.

Dissemination material

From the LIFE GoProFor database, in the final part of the sheet, it is possible to download some material relating to the project, including final technical report (where Action C.7 is dedicated to the restoration and conservation of water pools), the Layman's report and the dissemination brief “Amphibians and reptiles of the Colli Berici”.