CASE STUDY 5
Italian Case Study
In Italy there are two different study sites named 5A and 5B which aim at examining natural and human-driven biodiversity recovery contexts on two different vector-host-pathogen enzootic cycles.
Case Study Area 5a:
Parco Naturale di Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino
Province of Trento
Case Study Area 5b:
Parco Nord
Province of Lombardy
Habitat type: Coniferous and mixed forest
Contact persons: Annapaola Rizzoli, Heidi C. Hauffe, Valentina Tagliapietra
RESTORATION &
INTERVENTION MEASURES
Nature restoration
Reforestations
Spontaneous vegetation succession
Public health interventions
Yes
ENVIRONMENTAL
SAMPLES
Reservoirs
rodent
bat
Vectors
mosquito
tick
Environment
soil/sediment
HUMAN
DIMENSION
Case Study Activities
5A: Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park (https://parcopan.org/), is a mountainous protected area of 200 kmq located in the northeastern Italian Alps (Autonomous Province of Trento). It has an altitudinal level spanning from 1100 to 3200 m a.s.l. and is included in the World Heritage by UNESCO. The vegetation is dominated by coniferous forests. In October 2018, a catastrophic wind storm named Vaia hit the northeastern Alps devastating an area of 500 kmq of forest.
In the Park, 10% of the forests were affected and where fallen trees were removed, an heterogeneous vegetation is slowly recovering. The aim of the study is therfore to examine the impact of extreme weather events on the composition and abundance of animal communities in disturbed vs undisturbed habitat on zoonotic risk, considering small mammals, ticks and tick-borne pathogens as a model.
5B: Parco Nord (https://parconord.milano.it/) is an urban park in the Milano metropolitan area (Lombardy region) with a surface of 8 kmq. After being used as an airport during the Second World War, since the ‘60 it has been involved in several reforestation projects and is also a demo site of the SUPERB (Systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest-related biodiversity and ecosystem services) project. It is considered an important area not only for recreation, but also for its role in mitigating the heat island effect in urban and peri-urban environments, absorbing air pollution, acting as an acoustic barrier and controlling water runoff. Moreover, it holds important value for biodiversity offering habitat to over 100 species of trees, shrubs and ornamental plants, small lakes and ponds and some agricultural areas. The aim of the study is therefore to monitor the zoonotic risk at contrasting reforestation periods using mosquitoes and mosquito-borne pathogens as study model.
