The project area
In Italy, the project area encompasses the whole basin of the Po river, a water surface of over 20.000 square km. 4 Italian Regions and 1 Swiss Canton are crossed by the river: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Canton Ticino.
In Greece, the project involves the Greek Anatoliki Makedonia Region, namely in the area of the National Park of Thrace, where the Nesto river basin flows, representing the 24% of the greek lagoons and the 9% of its lake areas.
To counter the threaths which hinder the European eel, Lifeel will perform several concrete conservation actions:
• Mitigation of the fisheries and aquaculture pressures on the species, through an experimental protocol for the selection of the best breeders, to be released in nature and support the stock ripristination. Also a reproduction and farming program will be developed in captivity, to raise the number of young individuals to be released in nature.
• Defragmentation: through adapted fish ladders the fluvial ecological connection will be reactivated.
• Mitigation of the mortality caused by hydroelectric turbines: an experimental tool to avoid the eels enter the turbines will be assessed, and promoted among the plants manager companies.
• Dissemination and information actions about the species: Anguilla anguilla is characterised by peculiar reproductive behaviours, which collide with anthropic activites and put at stake its existence. Lifeel will perform specific informative actions with the view to raise the awareness of the centrality of a restoration of biodiversity in European riverain ecosystems.
More information in the project official site: www.lifeel.eu