Po Basin mixed forests

The Po Basin mixed forests is an temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the basin of the Po River in northern Italy and Switzerland's Ticino canton.

Po Basin mixed forests
Po River at San Benedetto
Location of the Po Basin mixed forests
Ecology
RealmPalearctic
Biometemperate coniferous forests
BordersAlps conifer and mixed forests, Dinaric Mountains mixed forests, Illyrian deciduous forests, and Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests
Geography
Area42,149 km2 (16,274 sq mi)
CountriesItaly and Switzerland
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered
Protected3,572 km² (8%)[1]

Geography

The Po Basin is bounded on the north and west by the Alps, and on the south by the Apennine Mountains. It opens onto the Adriatic Sea on the east.

Flora

Terrestrial plants

The Po Basin mixed forests consists of remnants of:
1. Mixed deciduous oak/hornbeam forest -

2. Riparian forest, as well as flood-plain vegetation of the Po Basin -

Aquatic plants

The freshwater ecosystems (zona umida) have a high level of biodiversity.
Threatened (in Italy) plant species include

Fauna

Less-disturbed wetlands which are important breeding areas for many bird species are most significant biodiversity of the ecoregion. Examples are grey heron, purple heron, great egret, little egret, squacco heron, cattle egret, great bittern, little bittern, pygmy cormorant and ferruginous duck.

Conservation

The region is industrialised and has a long history of human pressure (shrinkage of wetlands, invasive species, and unsustainable hunting of waterfowl).

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 3,572 km², or 8%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Only 2% of the unprotected area remains in natural habitat.[1] Protected areas include the Euganean Hills Regional Park, Po Delta Regional Parks, and Valli del Mincio Nature Reserve.

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  • "Po Basin mixed forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
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