Title of the project

Conservation and management of wetlands in Po delta and Venice Lagoon

Description

Private shooting areas named Aziende Faunistico Venatorie (AFV) maintain wetlands and wetland habitat to host waterbirds and huntable ducks in particular. The maintenance of habitat is necessary to obtain from Public Administration (District and Region) the private right to hunt in the area.

Each AFV is the owner of the hunting right and have to prepare an environment program and resources management to maintain the right to hunt.

restoring banks, creating fresh water lagoons, regulating water level, planting wetland vegetation.

private hunters create and manage habitat.

Results

Increase of the wintering waterbirds both huntable ducks and protected species as monitored by IWC. Increase of the breeding birds (also protected species)

Location

Country	Italy
Level	Regional
Site	Po Delta and Venice Lagoon
Province(s)	Rovigo
Region	Veneto

Habitat Types

Wetland, Coastal

Protection status of the areas

Natura 2000, Regional protected area

Species

Species Caracteristics	Huntable species, Protected species, Migratory species
Species Type	Birds

Conservation action(s)

Management of habitats and wildlife (e.g. conservation and restoration activities), Research and data collection (e.g. monitoring, bag data), Enforcement (e.g. of hunting legislation, codes of conduct)

Partners

Leading partners	Such wetlands are private and private hunters create and manage habitat. All private shooting areas are part of Ente Nazionale Produttori Selvaggina (EPS-Private hunting areas association(http://epsitaly.wordpress.com/), that help associates in some administrative process that involve habitat maintenance.
Other partners	Provincia di Venezia (http://www.provincia.venezia.it/) and Provincia di Rovigo (http://www.provincia.rovigo.it/web/provro) are district administration that allow AFV

Estimation of the budget (total or annual)

The annual cost of habitat management for each private shooting area (AFV) is variable between a minimum of 70.000 euros/year up to 1 million euros/year. Difference is depending on dimension of area, habitat creation such as fresh water lakes, numbers of employees, changes in hydraulic support etc. At the moment a total of 46 Private shooting areas exixts in Venice and Caorle-Bibione-Po delta, that means a possible estimate of 4-5 millions of euros are spent every year for habitat conservation

Estimation of Human Resources needed

Ech private shooting area has employees that work full time for habitat maintenance, hunting management, fishing actitvities. The numbers of employees is variable for each AFV. It could be estimated that around 120 people are working professionally for the maintenance of such echosystem.

Publication(s)

Le Valli del delta del Po, Emiliano Verza & Danilo Trombin Regione Veneto UP Parchi e Foreste, Octobre 2012Le Valli veneziane, Natura, storia e tradizioni delle valli da pesca a Venezia e Caorle, Autori vari- Provincia di Venezia, March 2009Le Anatre selvatiche del delta monitoraggi e ricerche sugli anatidi del delta del Po (Veneto), Emiliano Verza & Michele Bottazzo, Regione Veneto-Veneto Agricoltura, Novembre 2011