MASSACIUCCOLI LAKE: A NEW BEGINNING. SANT'ANNA SCHOOL INSTITUTE OF LIFE SCIENCES PROFESSOR ENRICO BONARI SETS OUT THE PRIORITIES FOR FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT
Professor Enrico Bonari, Tiziana Sabbatini, Vittoria Giannini and Daniele De Nisco (Sant’Anna School Institute of Life Sciences) along with Nicola Silvestri (University of Pisa) have published their study commissioned by the Ente Parco Regionale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli to protect and restore the Massaciuccoli lake ecosystem.
“The Ente Parco’s priorities for action are water quality and environmental recovery for a naturally self-sustaining ecosystem – says Giovanni Maffei Cardellini as the president of Ente Parco. We are working with partners and stakeholders to develop adaptation strategies, mitigate the impacts of climate and increase the resilience of changing water resources.” Partners include Tuscany Region, City Councils of Massarosa, Viareggio and Vecchiano, province authorities of Pisa and Lucca, the Consorzio di Bonifica, Autorità di Bacino, Ente Parco and Arpat.
Besides providing financial contribution for 18 million euros, Tuscany Region authority will also contribute to the lake environmental assessment and management through the river Serchio water diversion project. A tubo.one.5 canal for water diverted from the river into the lake is designed to accelerate adoption of conservation practices that protect the Massaciuccoli lake.
“In addition to the Massaciuccoli lake’s ongoing water quality monitoring, projects are underway in the lake’s area to improve restoration projects”, said director Riccardo Gaddi. “We have first defined the impacts of climate change on water quality and then highlighted processes relevant for freshwater ecosystems. The tubo.one.5 canal introduced in the context of the lake ecosystem will be considered in future policies for water and mass exchange between rivers and lakes. After our proposal in 2017, a wide variety of scenarios should be discussed together with other complex projects, such as the proven methods of phytoremediation (of excessive phosphorus and nitrogen) through the San Niccolò facility and the Consorzio di Bonifica additional 2 million funding – added Stefano Baccelli as the president of the committee for the regional Environment Freshwater Strategy.
Actions overview: methods of phytoremediation; assessment of water physical and chemical parameters, including nutrients; agricultural traditional practices (rice cultivation); environmental degradation and habitat restoration.
Current strategy: control of water turbidity; exotic species control; assessment of degradation and nutrient load; sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Massaciuccoli Lake data: a coastal shallow lake system, 700 m2 area, lake volume is 10-15 million m3 reaching 37-48 million m3 with canals and marshlands. Irrigation water consumption is 20 – 24 thousand m3. Cropping systems based on (mono) production of maize raise concerns on eutrophication of the lake due to nutrient enrichment (N, P); total of unutilized agricultural land is 12% (Tuscany region average is 20%).
