The WETLANDS II project starts from a simple consideration: wetland areas (lagoons, damps, river valleys, lakes, deltas, etc.) in Europe have been heavily destroyed and reduced over the last 250 years, because they are not “useful” for mankind, or even they are harming (malaria, floods). But contemporarily wetlands are the most important “cradles” of biodiversity, because of the vicinity of water and land, where thousands of rare species can live and develop. In addition, wetlands have the function of being the “kidneys” of a land, cleaning and regulating ground and surface waters.
To protect today biodiversity in Europe and to guarantee clean water cycles and sources, means mostly to protect wetlands. But this cannot be done against human activities, if not absolutely necessary. Therefore there is a need to conciliate nature protection of wetlands with sustainable living opportunities for local populations. This is what “Integrated Management of wetlands” wants to achieve.
WETLANDS II is the follow-up project of the WETLANDS Project, that has been implemented between 1998 and 2001, under the co-ordination of the Region Emilia-Romagna (I). This first project laid down the principles and showed the best practices for an integrated management of wetlands, starting from the analysis of the state of art and studying new methods for different sectors, like spatial planning or the operative management done by Nature Park administrations. At the end of this project, the partners summarised their works in a “Final Report on Integrated Management of wetlands”, in which the crucial areas and guidelines for a successful wetlands management where described.
Starting from the results of the first WETLANDS project, in March 2002 came again together a group of partners from the former project areas. This new group of partners, leaded by the Veneto Po Delta Park, has presented a follow-up project in July 2002, in order to implement some of the proposals and indications born during the first project. This new project has been approved for part-financing under INTERREG III Cadses at the end of January 2003.
The main purpose of the Project WETLANDS II is the improvement of the operative management of wetlands,
through capacity building and pilot projects in the partners' territories,
always with the same objective to reach an integrated management standard,
that takes into account the protection of these natural areas as well as the populations’ right to live and develop near
and with these wetlands.
WETLANDS II focuses on the following group of activities: