Objective
The project's main target is to create a network of protected microreserves adding up to 80 hectares altogether, which will, through the protection of the habitat, allow the little bustard population to be maintained, as well as the other species present in the area. Detailed management plans, which will deal with aspects such as the frequency of mowing, the regime for leaving land fallow, the density of livestock and the preservation of strips and patches of vegetation, will be drawn up. These should contribute towards maintaining traditional animal husbandry and exploitation of the pastures. The organization and launch of agri-environmental measures, in close collaboration with the local authorities, will take account of innovative applications of Regulation 2078/92. In particular, local institutes will embark on a joint programme to push for the adoption of various innovations in terms of ecological compatibility of farming; innovations which have already been tested in the field by a local young farmers' cooperative. This programme should permit an integration of arable farming and the environment which will prove particularly advantageous for bird species such as the little bustard and the griffon vulture, which long ago adapted themselves to habitats exploited in traditional ways through 'soft' agri-pastoral practices.
The 80-hectare reserve network is to become an SPA during implementation of the LIFE project. The expansion of the boundaries of the current candidate Natura 2000-site is also foreseen, in agreement with the local authority.
The steppe environment known as Thero-brachypodietea is a landscape relict whihc can only be found there where intensive agriculture and livestock raising have not completely transformed the land and traditional farming practices compatible with the original ecological balance are still being carried out. In one of the most untouched parts of Sardinia, the Oziear plain, vast open spaces remain, the undisputed realm of the little bustard and lesser kestrel. Application of mechanized farming methods and massive pesticide use are threatening the delicate ecological balance of the area, with possibly fatal consequences for one of the last little bustard populations (300 individuals) left on the island. The little bustard has vanished almost entirely from the rest of Italy (a few individuals remain in Apulia).
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
00198 Roma
Italy