Is Orbetello lagoon: is the solution or a new problem for biodiversity?

There Orbetello lagoona jewel set between the Tuscan Maremma and Monte Argentario ,. This fragile ecosystem, a treasure chest of biodiversity which extends over 2,525 hectares and has an average depth of about 1 meter, He has been threatened by pollution, eutrophisation and global warming for years. The summer of 2024 brought an unprecedented emergency: thousands of dead fish due to the proliferation of toxic algae, favored by the high temperatures (with peaks of 30 ° C in the water), which made its waters poor oxygen .

Over the past thirty years – we read on the website of the Department of Civil Protection – this system has expressed a considerable increase in eutrophication which over time has determined qualitative and quantitative changes of the structure of flora and fauna. Between the seventies and the nineties, the large quantities of algae produced in this system have led to degeneration and reductions in the quantity of oxygen in the levels below the surface of the water.

Faced with this crisis, the government replied on January 22 with “the establishment of the Environmental Park for the sustainable development of the Orbetello lagoon”. An initiative that promises to deal with environmental challenges in an organic way, but that raises strong perplexities by the WWF.

The park, based in Orbetello, will be managed by a consortium made up of the Ministry of the Environment, the Tuscany Region, the Province of Grosseto and the Municipalities of Orbetello and Monte Argentario.

Among the objectives: Water monitoring, removal of algae, restoration of habitats and enhancement of natural resources.

But the WWF launches the alarm, primarily contesting the choice to entrust the management to a consortium that could operate outside the national legislation on protected areas (L. 394/1991). This, according to the association, could create a dangerous precedent and weaken the protection of the lagoon.

In addition, the WWF denounces the lack of inclusion in the consortium of entities with decades of experience in the field, such as WWF itself that manages the WWF Oasis of Orbetello (870 hectares) since 1971, and the Carabinieri Biodiversity department of Follonica.

The failure to involve the managers currently operational on the area, such as the WWF or the Carabinieri Biodiversity department of Follonica, in addition to making the coordination of the interventions more difficult, ends up ignoring the experience accumulated over the years – explained the NGO in a note -Giving up on technical-scientific skills is always a mistake, especially when you go to manage natural areas.

The WWF oasis of the Orbetello lagoon, Born in 1971 following the discovery of a nesting colony of aquatic birdsknown as Cavalieri d’Italia, represents an important biodiversity garrison. The oasis area is 870 hectares, and is incorporated into the largest regional natural reserve (1550ha). The Orbetello lagoon houses over 200 species of birdsincluding pink flamingos (about 3000 wintering individuals), major white herons, fishermen, knights of Italy, birds of prey and sparrows.