Climate, WWF: “Extreme drought already very serious, the renaturation of the Po is fundamental”
The WWF alarm is clear and decisive, even if it is not the first time that such strong tones have been used in relation to the climate: the drought that has been affecting the Po basin for over three months is not a unicumbut similar phenomena will be more and more frequent, confirming a trend already underway for at least twenty years.
Already in 2003 and 2006for example, the area has suffered particularly exceptional droughts, but what has changed now, explains the WWF, is the time of year: it usually happens in summer, while now we begin spring already with a shortage of water impressive.
Rains are expected, and some weak precipitation has already occurred, but it will not be easy to fill the deficit that has been created, however, we must hope that the precipitations do not occur all together, concentrated in a few days or hours, or in some areas, as has often happened in recent years, with incalculable damage to the territory and the local economy.
This is the alarm of the WWF, which in a statement underlines how one of the most densely populated areas of our country is now passing from one water crisis to anotherfrom prolonged drought to violent flood events. It is about sides of the same coin, he claims. The effects of climate change are breaking down on an extremely vulnerable territory, characterized by rivers reduced to canals, without those riparian bands that are indispensable to mitigate the most extreme stresses. Riparian woods and peri-fluvial wetlands (oxbow lakes, lateral branches of rivers) constitute a real “sponge” for the river: they tend to retain water and allow the groundwater to be refilled during floods and to release it progressively during the year, contributing to reduce the consequences of severe drought periods.
The WWF project for the renaturation of the Po
In this context, the project for the renaturation of the Po, proposed by WWF and ANEPLA, to the Minister of Ecological Transition and inserted in the PNRR is of fundamental importance. Prime Minister Draghi himself recently stated that “we intervene to reactivate natural processes and encourage the recovery of biodiversity throughout the Po area, along its entire course. It is an important project, to which we dedicate 360 million”, But it is above all a vast and innovative action to adapt to climate change.
This is themost important river restoration action in Italy and it is an opportunity to promote new river management consistent with European directives (“Waters”, “Floods”, “Habitats” and “Birds”) and the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
The governance is currently entrusted, following a specific program agreement, to a control room made up of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Po district basin authority, AIPO and the Regions; the Basin Authority is in charge of coordinating and drafting the Action Program and AIPO will take care of the executive phase of implementation of the interventions. It is at a crucial moment why The Action Program should be ready by Aprilin which the details of the more than 50 interventions planned along the Po will be inserted.
The WWF “is concerned about the lack of adequate information to date to the territory on the state and evolution of the project, above all due to the lack of involvement of the Municipalities where the reopening of the lateral branches of the river, the lowering of the hydraulic groynes, reforestation and control of invasive allochthonous vegetation will be carried out.
The proposal of WWF and ANEPLA, which they currently have no role in project managementprovided for, as required by the Water Framework Directive (Article 14, Dire 2000/60 / EC), a strong involvement of the territory, in line with the provisions of the Unesco MAB routes present along the Po (“Piedmontese hills”, “Po Grande” and “Delta Po”).
The lack of this step in the start of the project could lead to a lack of integration with local policies and above all to a detachment with the territory and with the participatory processes underway within the MA “.” Also in light of the dramatic situation which we are witnessing in these days – continues the press release – the WWF asks that the best possible path be guaranteed for the implementation of the project, through a immediate involvement of municipal administrations and all stakeholders interested, so that they can contribute to a more complete and shared drafting of the Action Plan and, finally, that the Scientific Committee is immediately constituted and involved in the evaluation of the proposed action program of the Po renaturation project “.
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