CONA

TO6

Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency.

The project in numbers
Duration:
40 months
Start date: 01.09.17
End date: 31.12.20
N. Partner: 3
 
Progress
Budget:
1.439.634,00€
Budget FERS:
1.223.688,90€

The project in numbers

Duration: 
40 months
Start / End: 
01.09.17 to 31.12.20
Project progress: 
100%
Budget: 
1439634.00€
Budget FERS: 
1223688.90€

CONA

The improvement of the ecological status of the Corno river and the Isonzo river mouth in the Adriatic
Priority Axis 3

Protecting and promoting natural and cultural resources

Specific Objective: 
OS 3.2.
Investment Priority: 
PI 6d
Typology: 
Standard
Overall Objective of the Project: 

The project’s main objective was to protect and improve the aquatic ecosystem and its biodiversity in order to ensure the sustainable development of the project area, and to help achieve the program’s specific objectives. The project focused on the development of innovative solutions using the most advanced knowledge on a European-wide scale, which lead to concrete results in the cross-border area.

Project summary: 

From a biodiversity standpoint, the Italian/Slovenian cross-border area is certainly one of the richest and best preserved in all of Europe. With the realisation that nature knows no boundaries, the CONA project’s partners decided to join together in an effort to protect this shared natural heritage. The constant pollution of the water has caused so many changes to the aquatic ecosystem that a harmful balance has been created for living organisms. The Corno river is in extremely poor condition, and this has even had a negative impact upon the quality of the Isonzo river.
The main objective was to improve the ecological status of the aquatic ecosystem and to protect biodiversity in order to ensure progress and sustainable development. The project was focused upon the water catchment area of the Corno river, which is also part of the Isonzo river basin, and flows into the Adriatic in the protected area of Cona Island. All the work activities planned within the Corno catchment area were aimed at improving the water quality, thus improving the conservation status of the species and habitats. One important part of the project was the investment in the Municipality of Monfalcone, which had a major impact in terms of directly reducing the environmental pressure upon the protected area of Cona Island, in the heart of the nature reserve. The main cross-border outputs at the project level were the development and installation of weather stations and equipment, as well as the drafting of the project idea concerning re-naturalisation of the Corno river, which will have a direct impact upon the Isonzo catchment area and the nature reserve. The initiative represents an important opportunity to proceed with the joint planning, with particular focus being placed upon the sustainable management of the water resources in order to prevent environmental and ecological risks.

Main results: 

The project’s main objective was to carry out interventions aimed at guaranteeing sustainable ecosystem services with the help of green technologies. A reduction in the wastewater emptied into in the Corno river and the Adriatic will also have a positive impact on the conservation status of habitats and species. This will reduce environmental pollution and will improve the chemical-physical state of the water. By improving the ecological status of the Corno river, and consequently that of the mouths of the Isonzo river, a proper balance will be restored within the “Isola della Cona” nature reserve, thus increasing its self-cleaning capacity and biodiversity. The re-naturalisation of the Corno river involved the use of green technologies (sewage ditch and meandering course) and eco-remedies (natural systems and processes for the protection and renewal of the environment). With the re-naturalisation of the watercourse, long-term sustainability and economic management will be guaranteed. Eco-remedies primarily serve to improve self-cleaning capacities, as they protect natural habitats and biodiversity. With eco-remedies, the water is successfully retained, creates a new habitat, and eliminates residual pesticides and other nutrients present due to agricultural activities. In this manner, important areas of the ecosystem are protected from pollution, while at the same time allowing for sustainable ecological development in the cross-border area.