Don’t stand by and watch as the Planet suffers increasingly extreme weather events. This is the message that comes from Luvinate, in the province of Varese, where two pioneering projects are writing a new chapter in the Italian history of forest management, after the 2017 fire and the 2020 storm Alex which hit some forests in the area.
LIFE ClimatePositive and Bioclima – Natura che Vale demonstrate how this is possible restore forests damaged by fires and at the same time create more resilient ecosystemscapable of addressing the challenges of climate change.
The LIFE ClimatePositive project
The LIFE ClimatePositive project, funded by the European Union, was born in 2022 to enhance the products and services generated by forests, while promoting sustainable management and combating abandonment. This is a large-scale project, involving 16.5 hectares of forest, with a duration of 5 years and a total budget of €3,456,677.00, of which €2,074,006.00 coming from EU co-financing .
The project, which sees the collaboration of research bodies, institutions and private companies, focuses on restoring the areas affected by the 2017 fire and the 2020 storm Alex.
“In 2017 Luvinate dramatically experienced the effects of climate change,” he says Alessandro Boriani, Mayor of Luvinate. “The Campo dei Fiori firethe mountain that overlooks our town, it devastated over 400 hectares of forest. This event was followed by debris flows that caused extensive damage and put the safety of citizens at risk.”
To deal with this emergency, the LIFE ClimatePositive project provides targeted interventions to remove dead material and promote the natural regeneration of the forest. “In this way,” he explains Giuseppe Bonanno, Director of FSC Italia, “the forest will transform into a richer and more diversified ecosystem, capable of absorb more carbon dioxide and of better resist future extreme events“.
The intervention involves the planting of 6,200 broad-leaved trees and shrubs to increase biodiversityand will be constantly monitored and compared with nearby interventions, in which traditional methodologies were used. The data collected will be used to improve overall forest management.
The Bioclima – Nature that is Worth project
Alongside LIFE ClimatePositive, another project contributes to the rebirth of the Luvinate woods: Bioclima – Natura che Vale.
This initiative, supported by the Lombardy Region and the Cariplo Foundation, promotes a public-private partnership model for conservation of biodiversity and theadaptation to climate change.
Through restoration and valorization interventions, Bioclima – Natura che Vale has made it possible to recover a chestnut forest of approximately 3 hectares in the Campo dei Fiori Park, introducing 55 new chestnut trees and pruning 82 existing chestnut trees. The “Selva Castanile” has been restored through the removal of weeds, the pruning of the chestnut trees and the introduction of a new turf. This intervention has made the forest accessible again to nature lovers and has contributed to preserving the area’s traditional agro-forestry landscape, recognized by the European Union as a Habitat of Community Interest.
A future of resilient forests
“The LIFE ClimatePositive and Bioclima projects demonstrate how even small municipalities can become protagonists in the fight against the climate crisis,” he comments Alessandro Leonardi, CEO of Etifor Valuing Nature. “The integration of public and private funding can offer important resources to transform ideas into concrete actions, and working closely with local administrations and territories is the key to maximizing these opportunities”.
Thanks to these initiatives, the forests of Luvinate once again become a precious asset for the community, a green lung that protects the environment and offers essential ecosystem services.
