Bosco Limite, outdoor nature
Discover how the largest infiltration forest area in the Veneto region was created
Context
Bosco Limite is a forestry Research&Development experiment: Etifor, in collaboration with the agricultural company that owns the land, wanted to investigate the opportunities offered by the creation of a perpetual forest. The project aims to find alternative solutions to various problems in the Po Valley: starting from the over-exploitation of the land, up to the intensive use of the aquifers, through the loss of biodiversity and the increase of pollutants in the air.ease of pollutants in the air.
The project
In 2013 it was decided to convert 2.5 hectares of land, for 20 years used to produce corn (corn production created many problems to the owners due to the field management and the fluctuation of market prices) into perpetual forest. Today, Bosco Limite is economically sustainable forest that hosts 2,300 trees, whose species have been selected to recreate the typical environment of the venetian forest, and more than 20 different species of animals.
Together with the commitment to biodiversity and environmental awareness activities, the project is the largest Forest Infiltration Area (AFI in Italian) in Veneto, with 1,200 meters of waterways that allow the infiltration of 1 million cubic meters of water per year. The AFI was a Veneto Agricoltura’s concept born in 2007 during “Democrito Project”.
How? Read the Case Study on Climate ADAPT website.
Bosco Limite has also been included in the LIFE+ AQUOR project, thanks to which the owners of agricultural land receive an annual payment for the water infiltration service. A concrete way to make a circular economy: from the water consumed, to irrigate, we move to the value of eco-systemic services, with the forest protecting the water, reducing the impact related to the use of chemicals, producing biomass, reconstituting fertile soil, promoting biodiversity.
Our contribution
In addition to providing the technical advice that led to the project, Etifor team is responsible for the forest management plan and guiding the farm owners in all the economic activities.
Today Bosco Limite has become a great example of the services offered by Etifor: payments for groundwater recharging water services, outdoor recreational services, environmental education, non-timber forest products, timber supply chain, sustainable forest management, FSC® certification consultancy, emissions reduction, participation in public tenders and European projects.
Documents and Resources
