All project partners have participated: hosts from Regional Nature Park “Parco del Delta del Po – Emilia Romagna” (Italy) as well as Regional Nature Park «Molentargius - Saline» (Sardinia, Italy), , Green Balkans NGO (Bulgaria), Regional Nature Park “Camargue” (France), Biological Station “Tour du Valat” (France) and CSME of Salins Group (France). The workshop was also attended by Mr. Michele Lischi of NEEMO – Timesis, external monitor for projects funded by the financial instrument LIFE+ of EU. Partners have presented the achieved results from their activities at the target sites and in addition presented the benefits for local communities from conservation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
The special documents developed within the project were presented by respective leading authors: “Guidelines for the environmental management of the Mediterranean and Black Sea saltworks (Management model) in the NATURA 2000 network” by Massimilano Costa and “Guidelines for the management of the breeding population of the Yellow-Legged Gull Larus michahellis in the saltpans and coastal wetlands of the Mediterranean” by Dr. Lorenzo Serra. Bulgarian versions of these documents are printed by Green Balkans NGO and electronic versions can be downloaded below as well as After LIFE Conservation Plan for Pomorie Lake.
The overall objective of the project is the conservation in a favourable state (“favourable” in terms of the Habitat Directive) of habitats and birds species inside 10 Natura 2000 sites (all SPA and pSCI various degree of overlapping) located in Italy, France and Bulgaria. The habitats targeted by the conservation actions are: 1150* Coastal lagoon; 1310 Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand; 1410 Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi); 1420 Mediterranean halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi); 1510* Mediterranean salt steppes (Limonietalia); 92D0 Southern riparian galleries and thickets (Nerio-Tamaricetea and Securinegion tinctoriae); 2120 Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenariae. The bird species targeted are: Aythya nyroca; Charadrius alexandrinus; Charadrius dubius; Cygnus olor; Gelochelidon nilotica; Himantopus himantopus; Larus genei; Larus melanocephalus; Larus ridibundus ; Phoenicopterus roseus ; Podiceps cristatus ; Recurvirostra avosetta; Sterna albifrons; Sterna hirundo; Sterna sandvicensis; Tadorna tadorna. The secondary objectives of the project are: the elaboration of a management model for salt works; the elaboration of Guidelines for Larus michahellis disturbance mitigation; the improvement of the touristic fruition and the reduction of potential disturbance induced; the elaboration and approval of the management plan for the Cervia site IT4070007.
The activities of Green Balkans NGO (Bulgaria) include implementation of activities from the Integrated management plan of Pomorie SCI and Pomoriysko ezero SPA: creation and maintenance of islet nesting habitats for the species Little Tern (Sterna albifrons), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis), Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), as well as production and installation of nestboxes for Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) in the Pomorie Lake. Activities for removal of invasive plant species as the False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa) and Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) aim improvement of the sand dunes habitat status and the native rare plants associated with these along the sand spit separating the lagoon from the Black Sea.
Project LIFE10 NAT/IT/000256 MC-SALT “Environmental Management and Conservation in Mediterranean Saltworks and Coastal Lagoons” is being implemented with the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community. http://www.mc-salt.eu/en/index.html
Duration of the project is from 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2016.
Total costs of the project are 4 949 869 euro, and EC co-financing amounts to 2 395 663 euro.
Contacts:
Dimitar Popov – Project coordinator
Email: dpopov@greenbalkans.org
