Supporting the conservation and management of riverscapes: the case of the LIFE Brenta 2030 project

The LIFE Brenta 2030 project aims at improving the management and biodiversity conservation of a riparian Natura 2000 site: the "Grave e zone umide della Brenta" of the Veneto Region. Actions of the project aim to define and implement good management favouring the dialogue and interaction between several public bodies operating in the area and improving the conservation status of habitats and species of community interest by reducing anthropogenic pressures and threats. The geomorphological settings and dynamics of the Brenta River have been strongly modified during the last decades. In fact, this river is located in a highly urbanized landscape of the north-eastern part of Italy. However, its riverscape is important for biodiversity as it hosts 10 habitat types and several species of community interest. Here we present a set of monitoring activities and related preliminary results on the Brenta riverscape. The approach integrates surveys on the presence and distribution of animal species (birds, amphibians and reptiles), phytosociological relevés of the habitat types of community interest, high-definition aerial survey (LiDAR) and the mapping of the current habitat type distribution. The collected data over the whole riverscape will enable to deepen our knowledge on the conservation status of habitat types and species. Furthermore, it will be possible to understand the role of different pressures and threats on habitat types, and plant and animal species within this riparian landscape.