The objectives

The general objective of the project is for the reinstatement and consolidation of the green infrastructure that consists of a network of resurgences, irrigation ditches and channels in the Bressanvido District (Vicenza– Italy). This infrastructure is located in an area with a strong agricultural (dairy farming) orientation: within this context the loss of biodiversity caused by the intense exploitation of the territory can be significantly reduced.

The project has an important role as a demonstration tool as it:

1. highlights the important ecological role played by these green infrastructures for the conservation of biodiversity;
2. quantifies the value that the ecosystem services of these types of infrastructure offer (increasing the attraction potential of the territory; increasing the resilience of the agroecosystem from infestations of insect pests which cause crop damage; increasing the carbon storage; improving the management of water resources);
3. demonstrates the important role farmers cover in nature conservation, using resources supplied by the Structural Funds (i.e. EAFRD);
4. illustrates how to manage the riverbeds of the waterways in a coherent manner that includes water safety and conservation of the biodiversity;
5. shows the efficiency of the participatory processes involved in the execution of nature and biodiversity conservation projects;
6. highlights the importance that the recovery of the resurgences has in meeting the aims of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC);
7. emphasises and enhances the potential role these green infrastructures can have in nature and environmental education.

The project aims to be a model for this type of intervention and potentially be repeated throughout all the resurgence environments in Europe, with particular reference to the Veneto-Friuli plain. The project, therefore, also aims to illustrate the approach and operating procedures to anyone, so that it can be copied in similar contexts; with this in mind informative material has been made available, each with its own reference target.