From Fontana wood to Mantua’s lakes - A green corridor for biodiversity

Along the Diversivo from Mantua to Soave

• Involved Municipalities: Mantova, Marmirolo, Porto Mantovano

In a corridor of growing nature
This is not exactly an itinerary for hikers: it was actually conceived to counter habitat fragmentation, in favour of animals, birds and plants. It is however possible to cycle in the area, being very careful where the path crosses highly-trafficked roads.

The Regional Ecological Network
Animals and plants adapt themselves to live in certain areas (habitats), where they constitute stable populations. Just like humans, who live in cities and towns and travel on roads and railways, plants and animals need to move to find food and shelter, and for breeding. On our planet, the main threat to biological diversity is the separation and isolation of natural environments, especially around cities. Ecological networks connect comparable habitats, and enable plant and animal populations to meet and mix their genes. They thus “strengthen” themselves, warding off the risk of local extinction. In 2008, the Lombardy Region identified a general structure for Regional Ecological Networks, consisting of “hubs” (the main natural environments) and their connections (the Network’s corridors), in order to steer the interventions for biodiversity safeguard at regional level. The Mincio river is a fundamental ecological corridor, as it flows through several important natural environments of European importance, thanks to the amount of species they are home to.