Recovering wetlands fuel growth of flamingo population in Venice
Summary
Flamingos are showing up in large numbers in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy, as efforts to restore damaged wetlands improve their habitat. This increase is seen as a sign of the lagoon's ecological recovery, though flamingos have not yet started nesting there.Key Facts
- The Venetian Lagoon used to be nearly half salt marsh but now only about 7% remains, partly restored.
- Flamingos began appearing in the lagoon in the early 2000s and last year nearly 24,000 were recorded.
- The northern lagoon, with large natural salt marshes, hosts over 90% of the flamingos counted.
- There have been two unsuccessful nesting attempts in 2008 and 2013.
- An EU-funded project is restoring salt marshes in the southern lagoon to create more habitat.
- Restoring wetlands helps capture carbon dioxide and protect Venice from rising sea levels.
- Flamingos are attracted to traditional fishing wetlands but these areas sometimes cause conflicts with humans.
- The project aims to expand wetland restoration to make a bigger impact on biodiversity and climate.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.