The Po Delta
Natural biosphere reserve
Besides being Italy’s largest and most important river, the Po River is also the only one to have a Delta, which right here, in the province of Rovigo, stretches out to the sea, creating a mosaic of unique and peculiar natural sites with its branches.
The Po Delta was recognised as a Regional Park in 1997. It is the largest wetland in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, recognised in 2015 by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve of the MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Program which aims to improve the relation between man and environment and reduce the loss of biodiversity.
The landscape is characterised by different environments which alternate from the mainland to the sea: first of all the river, which shaped these lands and then the countryside, most of which is reclaimed; it is an area where the work of man has been crucial for its history and formation and it continues to be necessary for its preservation.
The Po Delta was recognised as a Regional Park in 1997. It is the largest wetland in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, recognised in 2015 by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve of the MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Program which aims to improve the relation between man and environment and reduce the loss of biodiversity.
The landscape is characterised by different environments which alternate from the mainland to the sea: first of all the river, which shaped these lands and then the countryside, most of which is reclaimed; it is an area where the work of man has been crucial for its history and formation and it continues to be necessary for its preservation.
You can find fossil dunes there, evidence of how the coastline moved forward over the centuries, levees, river floodplains, fishing valleys and lagoons and the most delicate environments which are also the most recent lands shaped by the deposit of river debris and for this reason still being defined: the scanni (sandbars).
The Po Delta boasts a very rich birdlife: over 370 bird species that can be found there, both resident and migratory, make it a popular destination for naturalists and birdwatchers from all over the world. As for the Delta vegetation, it is a rare example of a mixture of lowland, wetland and marine vegetation. Thus lush green landscapes especially woods and pinelands, alternate some others bare and burnt by the salt, or most particularly, hygrophilous woods along the river banks and stretches of cane that expand as far as the eye can see, which characterise the environment of the mouth.
The Po Delta boasts a very rich birdlife: over 370 bird species that can be found there, both resident and migratory, make it a popular destination for naturalists and birdwatchers from all over the world. As for the Delta vegetation, it is a rare example of a mixture of lowland, wetland and marine vegetation. Thus lush green landscapes especially woods and pinelands, alternate some others bare and burnt by the salt, or most particularly, hygrophilous woods along the river banks and stretches of cane that expand as far as the eye can see, which characterise the environment of the mouth.
