SAC IT1180027 - Confluenza Po-Sesia-Tanaro

SAC IT1180027 - CONFLUENZA PO-SESIA-TANARO

PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY: Management Authority of the Protected Areas of the Po River, Vercellese and Alessandrino

OTHER PROTECTED AREAS IN THE NATURA 2000 SITE: SPA IT1180028 "Po River - Vercellese-Alessandrino Section"; Confluence of the Tanaro River Nature Reserve

TOTAL AREA OF THE NATURA 2000 SITE:  4.061 hectares

HABITAT AREA AFFECTED BY INTERVENTION: the intervention patch is currently not occupied by Directive Habitats. Overall, interventions will be carried out to initiate the process of creating habitat 6210 over a surface area of ​​4 hectares.

MUNICIPALITIES AFFECTED BY THE PROJECT INTERVENTIONS: Isola Sant'Antonio (AL)

USES OF THE AREA: part of the SAC is located within private property (39%), while the remainder is public (61%). Within the SAC, part of the surface is occupied by semi-natural or natural environments, while part is occupied by human-made areas.

DESCRIPTION: the habitats within the SAC are quite varied and include different environmental typologies, mostly linked to the Po River's fluvial dynamics, but not exclusively. They include various types of woodlands, shrublands and grasslands, and wetlands. Agricultural environments include corn fields and poplar groves. The hydrographic network is very rich and includes numerous irrigation ditches and canals, as well as lateral branches of the Po River and its tributaries.

CONSERVATION STATUS: the conservation status of the various habitats is not always positive. In many areas, the introduction of invasive alien tree species (Ailanthus altissima, Robinia pseudoacacia) or shrubs (Reynoutria japonica, Amorpha fruticosa) is having a significant impact, posing a threat to the conservation of many habitats. Human activities also have a significant impact: hunting near the boundaries of the SAC, modification of riverbeds, illegal gravel extraction from riverbeds, and illegal logging are the main problems caused by human activity. Furthermore, wet oxbow lake habitats are threatened by natural dynamics. Species such as the Louisiana red crayfish (Procambarus clarckii) and the coypu (Myocastor coypus) are also present in aquatic environments, causing damage to native animal communities.

IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT AREA FOR SPECIES AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: the location of the chosen intervention patch (within the SCI) is strategic for strengthening the Po River's corridor function between the Sesia (to the west) and Ticino (to the east) rivers, with respect to Habitat 6210, newly created as a 1-ha core area.
The newly created habitat at the site helps ensure, in this western portion of the Po Valley, the maintenance of the floristic and phytogeographic characteristics of Habitat 6210 (as further detailed in the subsequent descriptions of the project's target habitats), which are unique compared to the same habitat in other parts of Italy or the rest of Europe. Fig. B2a.13 shows the intervention patch (Isola S. Antonio - Capraglia) with the location of the interventions.

PLANNED ACTIONS: creation from scratch of habitat 6210 (for a total surface area of ​​1 ha), with the creation of two patches of woody vegetation (for a total surface area of ​​1,000 m2) preceded by containment of invasive woody plants (total surface area 4 ha) and grass cutting (1.5 ha).