Brabbia peatland, Lake Varese and Lake Biandronno (2723)
Italy, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Palude Brabbia, Lago di Varese e Lago di Biandronno
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.7833, Longitude: 8.7500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 238 to 241
Area of KBA (km2): 24.3906
Protected area coverage (%): 93.91
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Palude Brabbia is a fen peatland located at the foot of the pre-Alps, west of the town of Varese. The area includes open water, marsh vegetation (mainly Phragmites and Carex), humid meadows and wet woodlands, and it is fed by the Brabbia Canal which links it to two lakes. One of them is Lago di Varese, a medium-sized freshwater lake surrounded by a fringe of reedbed. The main land-uses are nature conservation in Palude Brabbia, and tourism and hunting in Lago di Varese.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: An important site for breeding Aythya nyroca, herons (including a mixed heronry of Nycticorax nycticorax and Ardea cinerea) and reedbed passerines, and for foraging raptors. Numbers are based on regular counts during 1987-1996, apart from breeding herons which started to colonize the area in 1993.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (3%) | hunting (52%) | nature conservation and research (48%) | tourism/recreation (30%) | urban/industrial/transport (5%) | water management (50%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 10 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 75 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: At present the main threats are reedbed-burning, disturbance to birds, and water pollution from domestic and industrial sources. Palude Brabbia is a LIPU reserve and is covered by a management plan.