*Accession to agri-environmental measures for the management of the agrosystem
Management and conservation of the environment and interventions for agrosystem management
Thanks to the Visconti family's sensitivity towards the naturalistic subjects, since 1999 the company has undertaken, the first ever in the sector, a "Programme for the Rewilding of the river area of the Po River between the confluence of the Sesia and Rotaldo Rivers, aimed at the reconstitution and the enhancement of the traditional river environment", in collaboration with the Po Park Authority and the Basin Authority (now A.I.P.O.).
The programme, articulated in excerpt plans and specific projects, has been conceived to favour the reconstitution of the traditional fluvial environment and provide an example of sustainable agricultural management of the territory along the watercourses that is totally in equilibrium with the natural regime of the river.
Buffer strips have been created between the natural areas and those with a greater productive vocation and concentration of the latter in the more inland area less subject to flooding, through the creation of medium-long cycle woodland tree growing plants with valuable broadleaf trees on former poplar groves or former arable land; to date about 130 ha of plants have been created using species of the flora of the Po Valley (planting of over 100,000 trees and shrubs).
Woodland improvement works have been carried out on about 40 ha aimed at the conservation and improvement of areas of naturalistic value, increasing their physical and ecological stability and the characteristics of habitat for fauna. In addition, environmental restoration work was carried out (removal of landfill materials, rewilding of excavation sites, reopening of oxbow lakes, consolidation of oxbow banks, recovery of fountains, reconstruction of wetlands) using naturalistic engineering techniques, including interventions inserted in the LIFE Project "Conservation of alders in Lomellina SCIs".
Interventions of conservation and creation of elements of the agro-system with a prevalent environmental and landscape function (Hedges, Rows, Groves, Wetlands). 3,439 linear metres of tree-lined hedges have been created in the floodplain area, for an occupied surface of 2.06 ha, for a total of almost 3,000 bedded out plants.
About 1,900 linear metres of hedges have been realized on rice and corn plots outside the floodplain, for an occupied surface of 0.75 ha.
Measure F4 - 2001 - Set-aside of arable land for naturalistic purposes and disposable crops for avifauna (L.R. 7/2000). Low Priocco Grassland - About 8 ha were permanently withdrawn from production in 2001, today only 4.9 ha remain due to flooding of the Po and the consequent soil erosion occurred in this stretch.
Conservation of areas of naturalistic value (woods, shrubs and grasslands) improving their physical and ecological stability and enhancing their naturalistic functions.
Natural areas management
Interventions over more than 30 ha of woodland have been carried out: phytosanitary felling, thinning and improvement of woodlands, refreshments).
Woodland improvements
Interventions of reopening of oxbow lakes, recovery of fountains, reconstruction of wetlands
The Garzaia del bosco basso (“the low wood heronry”)
In the past, the company's attention to environmental aspects materialized also in an important intervention for the conservation and the improvement of the environment of the Garzaia del Bosco Basso, a regional nature reserve in accordance with the Regional Law 86/1983 and identified as an element of landscape interest in the agro-ecosystem of the Lomellina Reserve. The objective of the interventions, conducted in collaboration with the Province of Pavia, was to preserve and revitalize the marshland ecosystem in its vegetational forms of reeds and alders. To this end, the following interventions were carried out:
- selective thinning of pure black alder stands for a total area of 1.17 ha;
- conversion of an aged poplar grove into an alder grove by removing poplar specimens and planting 750 black alder seedlings and accompanying shrub species chosen from the indigenous flora;
- reconstitution of wetlands subject to periodic flooding through excavations to lower the ground floor and canalisation of surface water;
renewal of the cane thicket through decesplusion on 1.05 ha;
- creation of a path through the wetland by raising the ground level with access to a bird shed;
- restoration of 2 wetlands fed by fountains through excavation works aimed at creating floodable basins alternating with elevated dunes.
- diradamenti selettivi di popolamenti di ontano nero in purezza per una superficie totale di 1,17 ha;
- conversione di un pioppeto invecchiato in ontaneto tramite l’eliminazione degli esemplari di pioppo e la piantumazione di 750 piantine di ontano nero e specie arbustive di accompagnamento scelte tra la flora autoctona;
- ricostituzione di zone umide soggette a periodico allagamento tramite scavi di abbassamento del piano di campagna e canalizzazione delle acque superficiali;
rinnovazione del canneto tramite decesplugliamento su 1,05 ha;
- realizzazione di un percorso di attraversamento dell’area umida tramite sopraelevamento del piano di campagna con accesso a capannina di osservazione dell’avifauna;
- ripristino di 2 zone umide alimentate da fontanili tramite lavori di escavazione volti alla costituzione di bacini allagabili alternati a dune sopraelevate;
