Hunting and Migration: ANUU, Nordic birds choose Lombard lakes

Hunting and Migration: ANUU, the Nordic birds choose the Lombard lakes

Hunting and Migration: ANUU Migrators reports on the data from the census of wintering waterfowl in the period 2002-2013, the Nordic birds choose the Lombard lakes.

The census of waterfowl wintering in lakes and wetlands in Lombardy has been published, carried out between 2002 and 2013 in Lombardy, based on data collected by the University of Pavia (54 regular wintering species, contingents of national importance and Great Crested Grebe , Smergo Maggiore and Moretta, Royal Swan and Turkish Fistione). The wetlands of Lombardy represent an important destination for wintering.

The survey was coordinated internationally by Wetlands International and, at the Italian level, by the Istituto Superiore per la Ricerca Ambientale / ISPRA which collects, validates and analyzes the data sent by regional coordinators. In Lombardy, coordination was conducted, on behalf of the Directorate General for Agriculture of the Lombardy Region, by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Pavia.

The inventory is carried out in mid-January, during the period in which the water birds winter and stop in the lakes and along the Lombard rivers. The objective of this aquatic bird census is to annually establish the size of populations present in Europe, identify variations in the size and distribution of populations, determine the international and national importance of the various sites surveyed, contribute to national initiatives. and international for the conservation of water birds and their environments.

The aquatic avifauna, generally understood as a group of species that frequent the wetlands, including anatidae, slows, waders and grebes, constitutes one of the most important biological components of aquatic environments. Their positive effects on the environment and their contribution to biodiversity produce both indirect and direct benefits also for human populations, limiting the growth of pests and promoting soil fertilization.

The presence of numerous species of water birds is also an attraction for the public or a resource for hunting. Waterfowl can indicate the naturalistic conservation status of humid environments. Up to now, the data of the international census have made it possible to elaborate population estimates for 510 of the 522 species of water birds involved in the AEWA protocol (Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds) and to obtain information on demographic trends for 71 % of species, obtaining more and more precise and reliable data over the years, making it possible to formulate conservation strategies at the local level and as a transnational ecological network.

The data from the census of wintering water birds have historically been used for the purposes set out in the Ramsar Convention, as well as for the AEWA memorandum of understanding and for the designation of Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive 147 of 2009. The comparison among the population trends it allows a correct interpretation of the current trends, guided both by local factors independent of the global trend of the population along the flyway, and by extrinsic factors to the conditions of the single wetland.

Population trends in Lombardy were calculated over 11 years for 20 species, present in the region with significant numbers or considered to be of particular interest. The wetlands subject to census are codified by ISPRA in a national land registry, including the most important wetlands such as the Lombard Lakes Maggiore, Como, Iseo and Garda, the major waterways, such as the Po and Ticino, the basins, as well as areas that can accommodate important dormitories or daytime rest areas.

In general, the trends of the various species were stable or increasing, with the exception of three species, Grebe, Coot and Pochard. The Little Grebe shows a worrying reduction with an annual average of 13% which led to an alarming decline in population indices equal to 71,5% in ten years in Lombardy, in accordance with the decrease recorded at the national level (corresponding to - 7 % per annum). The Pochard and the Coot show a moderate decline, the first in progress with a generalized decline of its national and flyway populations, while for the second the trends on a larger scale show a substantial stability or increase. The Tufted Duck and the Goosander are two species that show a positive trend in the face of a decline in the European population. (Taken from Lombardia Verde n. 1/2015 - XXXI, published by the Lombardy Region, Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing Department).

(June 12, 2015)

ANUU Migrators