We visited Porto Viro on our last day in Italy. I read about it that the Po Delta got the Biosphere Reserve status just a few month ago. Some of the pictures have been made about 10 years ago, as we visited the Po Delta the first time. The whole region is very interesting, you have marshlands, forests, sea water and canals, very different areas. The fact that this is the only big delta in Italy directly into the sea makes this place so special. We enjoyed our walk only the mosquitos had been a pain. Very interesting was the visit of the abbey of Pomposa, which is located on the western border of the reserve. In 1000 it was a very famous religious abbey, but as there has been a flooding of the river Po above the city Ferrara, the area around the abbey got marshland, and about 1250 the mosquitos brought the Malaria and died all monks up to 10. So the abbey closed the doors. There are many interesting stories about the Po Delta, it's worth a visit.
"The Po Delta Biosphere Reserve is a delta plain located in northern Italy, produced by the actions of the River Po and recent human activities. It is created by the confluence of the main branches of the river, and comprises coastal dune systems and sand formations, lagoons, fishing ponds, marshes, fossil dunes, canals and coastal pine forests, vast brackish wetlands and cultivated lands dominated by rice farming. These landscapes provide the area with a unique identity and a high level of biodiversity due to the extensive range of habitats.
The reserve is an important tourist destination, and tourism together with agriculture and fish farming constitute the main economic activity of local communities."
Designation date: 2015
Administrative authorities: Po Delta Regional Park of Veneto Region, Institution for parks and biodiversity management Po Delta Emilia-Romagna.
Surface area (terrestrial and marine): 139,398 ha
Core area(s): 13,495 ha
Buffer zone(s): 55,281 ha
Transition area(s): 70,622 ha
Location
Latitude: 44°32’41”N – 45°09’48”N
Longitude: 11°52’59”E – 12°33’14”E
Midpoint: 44°51’16”N – 12°13’00”E
Ecological Characteristics
The Po Delta is the only delta in Italy and comprises the largest national reserve of wetlands, whose waters flow through ancient coastal dunes before meeting the sea. The delta plays a major role in conservation due to the diversity of environments, which include river branches, a dense secondary hydrographic network, coastal dune systems and sand formations, sandbars, lagoons, fishing ponds, marshes, fossil dunes, canals and coastal pine forests, in addition to the vast and mainly brackish wetlands.
The Po Delta hosts over 360 species of birds including the purple heron (Ardea purpurea), spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), little egret (Egretta garzetta) and a colony of pink flamingos (Phoenicoparrus roseus) which number over 10,000. The Cervo della Mesola is the only mammal to be found in the reserve — a red deer (Cervus elaphus) recognized as genetically distinct from other populations in Europe.
The Po Delta Biosphere Reserve incorporates a UNESCO World Heritage Site Ferrara, Città del Rinascimento e il suo Delta del Po, as well as three Ramsar Wetland Sites, Valli di Gorino e Territori Limitrofi, Valli Bertuzzi e Specchi d’Aacque Limitrofi and the Valli Residue del Comprensorio di Comacchio.
Socio-Economic Characteristics
The Po Delta is home to approximately 118,000 inhabitants. The reserve is located near four major settlements less than 100 km away: Rovigo, Ferrara, Venice and Ravenna. It is also an important tourist destination, and tourism together with agriculture and fish farming constitute the main economic activity of local communities.
The reserve contains many sites of historical and cultural value. San Basilio is an ancient settlement near the village of Ariano nel Polesine, which in Roman times functioned as a trading port. The Abate Tower in the municipality of Mesola is one of the most interesting hydraulic structures of the Po Delta, while Pomposa Abbey in the municipality of Codigoro is a masterpiece in the Romanesque and Byzantine style with its characteristic bell tower. Lastly, the area includes a number of seventeenth-century Venetian villas spread throughout the territory." www.unesco.org (
visit link)
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We visited the Po Delta and the Visitor Center in Porto Viro. The fact that this Bioshere Reserve is brand new means that they don't have signs yet. They are in the creation phase so maybe next year we can take a picture from one. The lady in the visitor center gave me two papers about the Unesco MAB stuff.