LIFE+ BIOAQUAE Active conservation of aquatic biodiversity in the Gran Paradiso National Park...
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LIFE+ BIOAQUAE Active conservation of aquatic biodiversity in the Gran Paradiso National Park ACTIONS AND OBJECTIVES The LIFE+ BIOAQUAE projects was conceived
Active conservation of aquatic biodiversity in the Gran Paradiso
National ParkACTIONS AND OBJECTIVES
TheLIFE+ BIOAQUAEprojects was conceived by the Gran Paradiso
National Park as a valuable opportunity to protect and improve
biodiversity in the alpine aquatic ecosystems. High altitude lakes
and streams are unique ecosystems of great naturalistic
significance, but they are also extremely delicate and vulnerable
to the impact of many factors of human origin, such as climate
change, the use of water in energy production, the introduction of
alien species, and local sources of pollutants, such as wastewaters
from pasturelands and shelters. TheLIFE+ BIOAQUAE five-year long
project, underway since the 1st September 2012, is an opportunity
to develop hands-on conservation initiatives for the promotion of
the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems in the Gran Paradiso
National Park.
The project consists of three main conservation actions:
Eradication of non-native fish from some high altitude lakes
Thebrook trout(Salvelinus fontinalis) is a salmonid originating
from North America. This species was introduced in some GPNP lakes
in the 1960s when the damage to the ecosystem that could be caused
by non-native species was not fully understood. In the last years
the impact of introduced brook trout was quantified within a
long-term research program. The LIFE+ BIOAQUAE provides for two
actions aimed at eradicating this species using higly selective
tecniques (gill netting and electrofoshing), which are non-lethal
for non-target species.
Ecological filters
The Gran Paradiso National Park includes well-preserved
environments where the impact of human activities is minimal. It
should be noted, however, that the climatic conditions of high
mountain zones may weaken the effectiveness of the techniques
normally adopted to mitigate the impact of the human presence, as
in the case of effluent management. Thenatural equilibriumof lakes
and streams may be severelyimpairedby theinflow of wastewater.
TheLIFE+ BIOAQUAEproject aims to flank traditional water treatment
systems with phytodepuration techniques, to assess their efficacy
and feasibility in alpine zones. Phytodepuration consists of using
selected plant species to create a suitable habitat for the growth
of bacterial flora having a natural water cleansing effect. The
plants taken from areas adjacent to the installation are suited to
the local conditions. The final goal is to create an ecological
filter supplementing traditional treatment systems to obtain water
that is clear and poor in organic constituents.
Marble trout
Themarble troutis a large-sized salmonid found both in alpine
lakes and in subalpine lakes on valley floors and on the plains. At
European level, this species is diminishing, mostly because of the
ongoing destruction and fragmentation of its habitats, and due
tocrossbreedingwith another salmonid species, the brown trout(Salmo
trutta fario). For these reasons, the marble trout has been
included in the red list of threatened species compiled by the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is
mentioned in Annex II to the Habitats Directive. Based on this
status, conservation initiatives for this species have a high
priority rating.In the Gran Paradiso National Park, the marble
trout has still been found in recent times in few watercourses,
which provide a suitable habitat for this species. Brown trout will
be removed from two streams (using electrofischng) and preventing
crossbreeding with marble trout.
Twitter: http://www.bioaquae.eu/index.php/the-projectThis unique
haplotype of Daphnia pulicaria is a clear example of the value of
alpine lakes as biodiversity reservoirs. This planktonic crustacean
lives in some naturally fishless lakes of the Gran Paradiso
National Park,Eradication actions provide for the capture of a
large number of fish.Aquatic vegetation play an important role in
determining the water quality.A difficult transport of a marble
trout using horses .
