LIFE ALEXANDRO

WHY LIFE ALEXANDRO

LIFE ALEXANDRO, co-funded by the EU’s LIFE programme, is a European project launched with the aim of improving the conservation status of the Kentish plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus), a species emblematic of coastal ecosystems that is currently in sharp decline.
The project stems from the need to tackle the main threats affecting the species’ survival, in particular human pressure on beaches and the degradation of natural habitats.
The project involves public bodies, universities, environmental associations and institutions in Italy and Croatia.

OBJECTIVES

We work together to achieve the established goals

Reducing direct and indirect threats

Improving reproductive success

Improving and restoring coastal and dune habitats

Strengthening the Natura 2000 network through new sites and management updates

To raise public awareness and promote sustainable behaviour

Developing a replicable model for coastal management and conservation

THE ACTIONS

The project comprises a series of initiatives operating at various levels:

Preparatory actions

data collection on species and habitats, development of scientific protocols, mapping of stakeholders and analysis of best practices

Action on the ground

nest protection, marking out of areas, monitoring of nesting sites, restoration of dune habitats and removal of marine litter

Measures to reduce conflict

consultative meetings with key stakeholders (e.g. local authorities, beach operators and associations), and the drafting of a “Guide to Good Practice”

Communication and awareness-raising

information campaigns, educational activities, engagement with the public, schools, tour operators and fishermen

Replication and governance

development, strengthening of the Natura 2000 network and promotion of agreements with local authorities (“Pact for the Kentish Plover”)

Monitoring

assessment of the effectiveness of the measures and of the project’s environmental and socio-economic impact

PROJECT AREAS

The project is being carried out across 51 sites in the Natura 2000 network, spread across 10 Italian regions (Tuscany, Lazio, Calabria, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Abruzzo, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and in Croatia (Zadar)

PARTNER

Istituto di Ecologia Applicata (coordinator), Croatian Society for Birds and Nature Protection, Ente di Gestione per i Parchi e la Biodiversità-Delta del Po, Parco Nazionale del Circeo, Parco Regionale della Maremma, Parco Regionale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Legambiente Nazionale APS Rete Associativa ETS, LIPU ODV, Ministero della Difesa Arma dei Carabinieri-Comando Unità Forestali, Ambientali e Agroalimentari, Riserve Naturali Regionali Orientate del Litorale Tarantino, SMART Revolution Srl, Università di Pisa-Dipartimento di Biologia. 

LIFE AND NATURA 2000

LIFE

The LIFE Programme is the European Union’s funding instrument for environmental protection. The overall objective of the LIFE Programme is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects of high European value. 

The Natura 2000 Network

Natura 2000 is a network of Sites of Community Importance and Special Areas of Conservation established by the European Union for the protection and conservation of habitats and animal and plant species of Community interest. The sites are identified by Member States on the basis of criteria defined at European level

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