European Rewilding Network
ERN1805

LIFE PRIMED

Restoration, management and valorisation of priority habitats of Mediterranean coastal areas

The LIFE PRIMED project is working to restore the degraded ecosystems of the Nestos River delta in Greece.
LIFE PRIMED
Delta of the Nestos River in Greece is a Natura 2000 site.
LIFE PRIMED
Replication of project's outcomes will enable the long-term conservation of habitats along the Mediterranean coast.
LIFE PRIMED

LIFE PRIMED is focused on the rewilding and restoration of the Palo Laziale wood in central Italy, and the delta of the Nestos River in Greece – both of these are Natura 2000 sites.  It aims to identify the reasons behind the current unfavourable conservation status of the two sites, and to work to restore degraded ecosystems.

Over the last 20 years Palo Laziale has experienced rapid forest decline and dieback. The final stage of the tree dying process is characterised by a fungal infection, which is triggered by conditions such as drought, increased temperature due to climate change, increased salinity and a lack of forest management. In Nestos, the degradation is due to drought linked to climate change, illegal logging, fragmentation, overgrazing and trampling.

The project’s proposed forestry and hydraulic interventions – which include drainage trenches, underground tanks and gravity-powered water distribution network – represent the best solution to deal with drought and will have a substantial impact on the entire floodplain forest and temporary pond ecosystem. The solutions developed as part of the project will then be used in other environmental contexts to enable the long-term conservation of habitats along the Mediterranean coast.

Specification Description Achievements Exchange
Project: LIFE PRIMED
Region: Bosco di Palo Laziale, Italy and Delta of Nestos River National Park, Greece
Type of protection: Natura 2000, RAMSAR
Habitat types: Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oaks and sessile oak forests, Alluvial forests with Black adder and European ash, Mediterranean temporary ponds, Arborescent matorral with Laurus nobilis.
Aim and vision: The specific objectives of the Project are to quantify the exact causes that have led to the current unfavorable conservation status and to define and implement appropriate and innovative actions capable to restore the affected ecosystems. Furthermore the project aims to develop mechanisms that will ensure the continuation of ecosystem conservation and the management actions even after the end of the Project, to present the outcomes of the Project to the scientific community and to relevant institutions in order to scale-up the rewilding, restoration, management and valorisation approach in other similar coastal ecosystems of Italy, Greece and Europe. The project is amongst other supporting the local and regional economy by engaging the local community in its activities and in the further management and touristic use of the sites. To achive this project team is focusing on communication, raising awareness and knowledge about the areas, its habitats and species, through outreach and environmental education initiatives.
LIFE PRIMED vision is to develop innovative environmental engineering solutions, such as a self-sustainable hydraulic system, in response to the impact affecting the two sites (e.g. drought). Once the testing process will be ended, the methodology will be actively transferred to similar European contexts to promote and enable the long-term conservation of similar Mediterranean coastal habitats.
Other activities: Community involved, Eco tourism, Education, High-impact communications, Recreational activities, Research, Sale of sustainable products
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on: The project will restore the floodplain oak wood, currently highly degraded, double the current surface of temporary ponds, improve the chemical-physical conditions of the soil and the conservation status of the species. living in the wood. In addition, the project will develop a best-practices guide on the Mediterranean coastal forest restoration and management, disseminate the project outputs among the scientific community and relevant institutions, boost the creation of new jobs and new curricula in the field of restoration ecology and increase the environmental awareness of the local community on natural capital’s benefits.
Results so far: The project has started in July 2018.
Inspirational value: LIFE PRIMED represents an important opportunity for making and evaluating restoration and management actions able to break the decline of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems caused by a synergy of different stress factors, in particular those related to the climate change. Once the success and effectiveness of the proposed solutions will be demonstrated, the project will provide useful indications for other environmental contexts affected by similar pressures, becoming increasingly frequent across the Mediterranean area.
Experience you would like to share: The innovative solutions developed along the project.
Experience you would like to gain: Good practices on rewilding and restoration ecology developed across EU.
Map
Country
Greece, Italy
Start year
2018
Size (ha)
22.612
Area type
Forest-grassland mosaic, Mediterranean vegetation, Riparian floodplains, Temperate deciduous forest
Natural process
River dynamics
Flagship species
Vulture
LIFE PRIMED
The LIFE PRIMED project is working to restore the degraded ecosystems of the Nestos River delta in Greece.
LIFE PRIMED
Delta of the Nestos River in Greece is a Natura 2000 site.
LIFE PRIMED
Replication of project's outcomes will enable the long-term conservation of habitats along the Mediterranean coast.
LIFE PRIMED

LIFE PRIMED is focused on the rewilding and restoration of the Palo Laziale wood in central Italy, and the delta of the Nestos River in Greece – both of these are Natura 2000 sites.  It aims to identify the reasons behind the current unfavourable conservation status of the two sites, and to work to restore degraded ecosystems.

Over the last 20 years Palo Laziale has experienced rapid forest decline and dieback. The final stage of the tree dying process is characterised by a fungal infection, which is triggered by conditions such as drought, increased temperature due to climate change, increased salinity and a lack of forest management. In Nestos, the degradation is due to drought linked to climate change, illegal logging, fragmentation, overgrazing and trampling.

The project’s proposed forestry and hydraulic interventions – which include drainage trenches, underground tanks and gravity-powered water distribution network – represent the best solution to deal with drought and will have a substantial impact on the entire floodplain forest and temporary pond ecosystem. The solutions developed as part of the project will then be used in other environmental contexts to enable the long-term conservation of habitats along the Mediterranean coast.

Map
Country
Greece, Italy
Start year
2018
Size (ha)
22.612
Area type
Forest-grassland mosaic, Mediterranean vegetation, Riparian floodplains, Temperate deciduous forest
Natural process
River dynamics
Flagship species
Vulture
Specification
Project: LIFE PRIMED
Region: Bosco di Palo Laziale, Italy and Delta of Nestos River National Park, Greece
Type of protection: Natura 2000, RAMSAR
Habitat types: Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oaks and sessile oak forests, Alluvial forests with Black adder and European ash, Mediterranean temporary ponds, Arborescent matorral with Laurus nobilis.
Description
Aim and vision: The specific objectives of the Project are to quantify the exact causes that have led to the current unfavorable conservation status and to define and implement appropriate and innovative actions capable to restore the affected ecosystems. Furthermore the project aims to develop mechanisms that will ensure the continuation of ecosystem conservation and the management actions even after the end of the Project, to present the outcomes of the Project to the scientific community and to relevant institutions in order to scale-up the rewilding, restoration, management and valorisation approach in other similar coastal ecosystems of Italy, Greece and Europe. The project is amongst other supporting the local and regional economy by engaging the local community in its activities and in the further management and touristic use of the sites. To achive this project team is focusing on communication, raising awareness and knowledge about the areas, its habitats and species, through outreach and environmental education initiatives.
LIFE PRIMED vision is to develop innovative environmental engineering solutions, such as a self-sustainable hydraulic system, in response to the impact affecting the two sites (e.g. drought). Once the testing process will be ended, the methodology will be actively transferred to similar European contexts to promote and enable the long-term conservation of similar Mediterranean coastal habitats.
Other activities: Community involved, Eco tourism, Education, High-impact communications, Recreational activities, Research, Sale of sustainable products
Achievements
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on: The project will restore the floodplain oak wood, currently highly degraded, double the current surface of temporary ponds, improve the chemical-physical conditions of the soil and the conservation status of the species. living in the wood. In addition, the project will develop a best-practices guide on the Mediterranean coastal forest restoration and management, disseminate the project outputs among the scientific community and relevant institutions, boost the creation of new jobs and new curricula in the field of restoration ecology and increase the environmental awareness of the local community on natural capital’s benefits.
Results so far: The project has started in July 2018.
Exchange
Inspirational value: LIFE PRIMED represents an important opportunity for making and evaluating restoration and management actions able to break the decline of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems caused by a synergy of different stress factors, in particular those related to the climate change. Once the success and effectiveness of the proposed solutions will be demonstrated, the project will provide useful indications for other environmental contexts affected by similar pressures, becoming increasingly frequent across the Mediterranean area.
Experience you would like to share: The innovative solutions developed along the project.
Experience you would like to gain: Good practices on rewilding and restoration ecology developed across EU.
LIFE PRIMED
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.