Venice Lagoon (Italy)

The Venice Lagoon is one of the clearest examples of how increasing sea level rise and human activities are challenging the survival of coastal wetlands and communities’ livelihoods. Sea-level rise combined with
urbanisation have been associated to a three-fold reduction in the surface of saltmarshes and deepening of tidal flats in the last century, besides severe erosion and sediment loss.

Growing urbanisation, the artificial modification of canals, and the reclamation of wetlands increased vulnerability of urban areas, resulting in frequent and escalating flooding events.

Some of the first actions to restore wetlands in the area, essentially salt marshes, were initiated by the Italian Ministry for Infrastructures (under the ’Piano Morfologico e Ambientale della Laguna di Venezia’) during the 1990s as a response to a series of devastating floods in previous decades.

In 2000, a Regional Master Plan established clear, quantitative targets for nitrogen and phosphorus removal in each sub-basin draining into the Lagoon. The Acque Risorgive Drainage Authority initiated several small-scale pilot projects focused on restoring artificial canals, planting tree buffer zones, restoring or creating new wetlands, and adopting various practices for managing aquatic vegetation.

These efforts proved to be a successful win-win solution, addressing both hydraulic and pollution issues while enhancing biodiversity and the landscape. As a result, the Authority expanded these initiatives, which have now become established best practices, applied across the entire basin with a long-term perspective.

Horizon projects such as WaterLANDS and REST-COAST are also contributing to restore salt marshes in the lagoon.

Additionally, significant efforts have been deployed to restore seagrass meadows, including transplantation and seed-based restoration.