Nature Reserves

RN 143 Gerre di Sotto – Wetland of Cantonal Importance

Project

The Parco del Piano di Magadino Foundation commissioned Oikos – Environmental Consulting and Engineering Sagl of Bellinzona, with the task of designing management and enhancement interventions for the wetland of cantonal importance, object no. PA_9003. The intervention was financed by the Canton, Municipalities, and the Confederation.

The Gerre di Sotto nature reserve features a small marshy depression within the Piano Park, bordered to the north by the cantonal road embankment, to the east by private property, and to the south and west by agricultural fields. Despite its small size, this wetland (PA 9003) is considered of cantonal importance and is located in a crucial sector for connection with the piedmont belt, within the vital space for reptiles ISVR TI 282.

The implemented interventions aim to manage the natural values of the Gerre di Sotto wetland through the enhancement of the water system (ponds), the management of marsh vegetation, and shrub and tree formations. Furthermore, the reserve requires recurring management interventions to maintain the system's functionality, specifically:

The wet environments (ponds) will not require interventions in the next 5 years.

The marshy areas (reed beds) will need to be managed annually, on a rotational basis.

Shrub and tree vegetation must be managed to prevent excessive growth.

The growth of shrub vegetation must be contained, respecting planning constraints.

Invasive neophytes, particularly Japanese knotweed, must be monitored.

The presence of the Fortune's Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), found in the undergrowth, must be monitored.

State before interventions:
issues

The interventions took place during the winter period, between December 2018 and January 2019. The main intervention consisted of dredging the water bodies, excavating excess material that had led to their silting up, totaling 190m³. All excavated material, after temporary on-site storage for a few days to allow drying, was loaded onto trucks and disposed of at an authorized Type B landfill.