During the first day of the seminar, presentations for the progress of their activities within the project were made by most of the project partners and namely: Regional Nature Park “Parco del Delta del Po – Emilia Romagna” (Italy), Municipality of Cervia (Italy) - presented by its mayor Mr. Roberto Zoffoli, Green Balkans NGO (Bulgaria), Regional Nature Park “Camargue” (France), Biological Station “Tour du Valat” (France) and CSME of Salins Group (France).
The project partners gave detailed information about their experience in the management of former and current salt works in Italy, France and Bulgaria, which represent valuable natural habitats protected by the EU Directives. In the meeting participated also Mr. Michele Lischi – representative of Astrale – Timesis, who is doing the monitoring of the Life project.
In the seminar participated also representatives of: Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Waters – Burgas, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Researches – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Natural History Museum of Burgas, Persina Nature Park, Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – Great Britain, Society Terra – Burgas, University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”- Burgas.
During the second day of the seminar the participants visited several key places from the project territory - Pomorie Lake, which is a hyper saline lagoon. They visited the dunes at the east bank of the lagoon, the canal connecting the lagoon with the Black See, as well as some of the habitats at the south-west bank of the Pomorie Lake, including the territory around the pumping stations, which is very rich in biodiversity.
For contact:
Dimitar Popov – project coordinator from the side of Green Balkans NGO
dpopov@greenbalkans.org, tel.: 0885108712
Project website: http://www.mc-salt.eu/en/index.html
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General information about the project:
Project LIFE10 NAT/IT/000256 MC-SALT is being implemented with the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community
The main project goal is conservation and achievement of favouravle conservation status in 10 protected sites from the pan-European ecological network Natura 2000 situated in Italy, France and Bulgaria. These are mainly habitats influenced and bound by human activities and namely the salt production.
Duration of the project is from 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2016.
Total costs of the project are 4 949 869 euro, and EC co-financing amounts to 2 395 663 euro.
Project partners are: Regional Nature Park “Parco del Delta del Po – Emilia Romagna” (Italy), Municipality of Cervia(Italy), Regional Nature Park “Molentargius - Saline” (Italy), Green Balkans NGO (Bulgaria), Regional Nature Park “Camargue” (France), Biological Station “Tour du Valat” (France) and CSME of Salins Group (France).
Habitat types subject to conservation measures within the project include 1150* Coastal lagoon; 1310 Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand; 1410 Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi); 1510* Mediterranean salt steppes (Limonietalia), 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes, 2120 Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes) and others.
The target bird species are: Ferroginous duck (Aythya nyroca); Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus); Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus); Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus); Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta); Little, Common and Sandwich terns (Sterna albifrons, Sterna hirundo, Sterna sandvicensis); Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei) etc.
Activities of the project partners:
The activities of Green Balkans NGO (Bulgaria) include construction and maintenance of insular nesting habitats for the species Little Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Kentish Plover and Pied Avocet , as well as construction and installation of nests for Common Shelduck in the Pomorie Lake. The project activities also include uprooting of invasive plant species as the False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa) aiming at the improvement of the habitat conditions of the dunes and the native rare plants on the eastern bank of the saltwater lagoon of Pomorie.
The activities of Regional Nature Park "Parco del Delta del Po – Emilia Romagna" (Italy) include restoration of hydraulic circulation and new breeding islets in Cervia salt work. Restoration work will involve the removal of muddy material from the internal channels, repair and maintenance of draining pumps and dam-gates, etc. Construction of new islests for for birds will also be implemented. As a mesure against the disturbance from L. michahellis over the islets will be build a grid of cable, at thhe height of about 2.5 meters. To improve the nesting conditions will be buried 500 meters of electrical line. Within the project is also stipulated the elaboration and approval of the management plan for IT4070007 SCI “Salina di Cervia” as well as a number of information, educational and research activities.
The activities of Regional Nature Park "Molentargius - Saline" (Italy) are aiming at the improvement of the hydrological regimes of the lake Bellarosa Maggiore and hindering the process of eutrophication by repair of different installations which were earlier maintained for the purpose of salt production. Within the project are also stipulated: information and educational activities, research of the lake sediments, research of the zoobenthos and the population of Artemima salina; hydro-chemical monitoring of the waters, preparation of a check-list for the flora, monitoring and analyses of the fish population, improvement of the nesting habitats for a number of bird species, etc.
The activities of CSME of Salins Group (France) are aiming at the improvement of existing and construction of new islets for ground nesting birds in the salt marshes of Aigues-Mortes. A big part of the activities are focused in the repair of hydraulic systems and pumping stations which enable the movement of water. The renovation works will contribute to the protection and restoration of the coastal lagoons used for salt farming and the habitat of common interest and will also improve the hosting conditions for a number bird species such as the Flamingos, Slender-billed Gulls and Pied Avocets.
The team of Biological Station "Tour du Valat" (France) will elaborate a management model for salt works and guidelines for Larus michahellis disturbance mitigation. Within the project are also stipulated communication and information activities as well as the elaboration of a project for the restoration of the hydrological regime of saltworks in Regional Nature Park "Camargue" (France).
The activities of Regional Nature Park "Camargue" (France) aim at the restoration of the natural hydrological regime of the Anciens Salins de Beauduc. The saltworks will no more be used for intensive salt production and this may lead to the draining and destruction of 1510* Mediterranean salt steppes. Thus, it is necessary that some dykes and other installations that served the salt production to be removed. There will also be implemented construction activities for improvement of the nesting habitats of colonial birds such as the Flamingos, Pied Avocets, Sandwich Terns, Slender-billed gulls, etc.
