An integrated approach to prevent the erosion of salt marshes in the lagoon of Venice

Authors

  • Alberto Barausse LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Laura Grechi LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Nevenka Martinello LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Tommaso Musner LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Dario Smania LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Alberto Zangaglia LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova
  • Luca Palmeri LASA-Environmental Systems Analysis Lab. Department of Industrial Engineering, Univeristy of Padova, Padova

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/5799

Keywords:

salt marsh erosion, Venice lagoon, soil bioengineering techniques, sustainability

Abstract

The loss of coastal habitats is a widespread problem in Europe. To protect the intertidal salt marshes of the lagoon of Venice from the erosion due to natural and human causes which is diffusely and intensely impacting them, the European Commission has funded the demonstrative project LIFE VIMINE. LIFE VIMINE aims to protect the most interior, hard-to-access salt marshes in the northern lagoon of Venice through an integrated approach, whose core is the prevention of erosion through numerous, small but spatially-diffuse soil-bioengineering protections works, mainly placed through semi-manual labour and with low impact on the environment and the landscape. The effectiveness of protection works in the long term is ensured through routine, temporally-continuous and spatially-diffuse actions of monitoring and maintenance. This method contrasts the common approach to managing hydraulic risk and erosion in Italy which is based on large, one-off and irreversible protection actions. The sustainability of the LIFE VIMINE approach is ensured by the participatory involvement of stakeholders and the recognition that protecting salt marshes means defending the benefits they provide to society through their ecological functions, as well as protecting the jobs linked to the existence or conservation of this habitat.

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Published

2015-12-20

How to Cite

Barausse, A., Grechi, L., Martinello, N., Musner, T., Smania, D., Zangaglia, A., & Palmeri, L. (2015). An integrated approach to prevent the erosion of salt marshes in the lagoon of Venice. EQA - International Journal of Environmental Quality, 18(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/5799

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