The Cladieto

A priority habitat

The calcareous swamps with Cladium Mariscus are considered as relict vegetation from the first Holocene. Their conservation is a priority according to the European 92/43/CEE “Habitat” Guideline.The cladieti have a particular physiognomy, characterized by a homogenous and rich vegetation, in which you can find sedge.

In the Reserve the habitat covers almost 1500 square metres and it’s the largest one in Lombardy.

The conservative interventions

Since 2022 the Reserve’s institution has done lots of conservation and extension projects of this precious habitat:

• 2022 – pilot intervention in which it has been manually cleaned the area with the help of volunteers.
• 2024 – large scale restoration. Thanks to the funding of Region Lombardy the pilot intervention was replicated with the use of machines on a surface of almost 500 square metres. 2500 plants were also planted.

Issues

The evolutionary dynamic of the cladieto, as well as other wet environments, is characterized by the progressive planting and draining of ponds and lake hollows. In the actual state you can see a big competition with Phragmites australis because of the elevate contribution of eutrophic waters. Aside from the competition with other species, another problem is the drought that can badly endangers the habitat by causing the death of lots of plants.