Lomellina and Heronries of Pavia province (2728)
Italy, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Lomellina e Garzaie del Pavese
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.3000, Longitude: 9.1667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 63 to 107
Area of KBA (km2): 309.36111
Protected area coverage (%): 98.84
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A complex of heronries on the western Padana plain, isolated from each other and situated mainly inside small broadleaved woodlands surrounded by cultivated land, especially rice-fields. The main land-uses are nature conservation and agriculture. `Water management' is linked to rice-fields.
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: There are 12 main heronries: Abbazia Acqualunga, Bosco Basso, Carola, Cascina Notizia, Cascina Villarasca, Celpenchio, Porta Chiossa, Rinalda, Roggia Torbida, Sant'Alessandro, Verminesca, and Villa Biscossi. The site holds internationally important numbers of breeding Nycticorax nycticorax (second-largest breeding colony in Europe) and Egretta garzetta. The average total number of breeding herons exceeds 20,000 birds.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | fisheries/aquaculture (5%) | forestry (30%) | hunting (20%) | nature conservation and research (80%) | tourism/recreation (10%) | water management (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 93 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 | |
| Forest | 4 | |
| Other | 2 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats are posed by agricultural intensification and by clear-cutting of trees (mainly illegal, by local people) for commercial reasons or to increase the amount of cultivable land. Most of the heronries are protected as Regional Nature Reserves, but some heronries are located inside game reserves, where the habitat management is sometimes not favourable for the nesting herons. Censuses of breeding pairs are regularly carried out by the Università di Pavia on behalf of Regione Lombardia. Every heronry has a management plan, prepared by Regione Lombardia.