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Management

How the Reserve was created

29/4/1960: The Lamette were included in a Ministerial Act which regarded the entire Brescian side of Lake Iseo; at the same time part of the Lame became an “area of respect” of the Lamette.
1965/1970: Local authorities, schools, local population made an environmental outcry at the idea of refilling the Torbiere and at the decision to allow the Oglio Consortium to modify the water level by flooding up to half a metre above and up to 3 metres below the normal level.
20/06/1970: The C.N.R. declared the Torbiere to be a “biotope of exceptional importance” and stated that it be included in the list of protected biotopes.
27/07/1977: The Region of Lombardy with Act no.33 inserted the Torbiere in the list of biotopes and geotopes to be converted into Nature Reserve.
1977/83: The municipalities of that area (Iseo, Provaglio d’Iseo, Corte Franca), together with the Mountain Community of the Sebino and the Province di Brescia set up a Consortium for the Management of the Torbiere which was approved by the Region on 15/03/1983.
30/11/1983: The Region, with law no. 86 provides the regulations for the management and the institution of the Reserve: the Torbiere are finally included in the list of Nature Reserves. 11/06/1984: The Torbiere are declared of international interest for migratory birds by ministerial decree, according to the Ramsar Convention.
19/12/1984: The Region provides the last measures to make law 86/83 active for each Reserve. The management of our Reserve is carried out by the Consortium that had been created in the meanwhile.
21/03/1986: The Consortium Management, after preliminary investigations approved the Management Plan and passed it on to the Region for final approvation.
13/09/1988: The Region finally approved the Management Plan of the Natural Reserve. The Regional Advice Committee sanctions the previous decision 2 months later.

Management structure

The Reserve belongs to the Region of Lombardy that lays down the law on everything that concerns it (this however is restricted by the fact that a large part of the territory is still in private ownership). The Region has entrusted the management of the Reserve to a Consortium of municipal authorities, the Mountain Community and the Province which was formed before the institution of the Reserve. The basic work of the Consortium is to manage; that is, to request directions from the Region and implement them in compliance with the Master Plan approved by the Region, and using regional finances and voluntary contributions. The Consortium is made up of a board of members selected by the organisations which have set up the Consortium and of a Managerial Committee elected by the above mentioned Board. The Consortium is supported by a Permanent Scientific Committee and is in the process of appointing technical, management and operating personel. Staff from the Province, the Forest Corps and the Voluntary Ecological Guard patron and protect the Reserve.

Management plan

The Reserve covers an area of 360 hectares and is partially surrounded by a protected area made available by the single municipal authorities.
The Reserve has 3 kinds of objectives:

  • NATURALISTIC (to protect the flora and fauna of the area),
  • ENVIRONMENTAL (to protect a “landscape” that, in spite of being mainly man-made, has certain characteristics which render it as important as those totally natural);
  • SOCIAL (to guarantee non-destructive exploitation for scientific, didactic, cultural and educational purposes).

To achieve these objectives the plan provides:

Certain prohibitions such as the barring of new building projects, modifications to the water system, removal of flora and fauna (with the exception of authorized fishing) and transit of motorised vehicles.
Zoning into areas A,B,C, determined according to the naturalistic values that are present and the compatible forms of human presence.

  • Zone A: Total Reserve of outstanding naturalistic importance, access and any modification barred.
  • Zone B: Partial Reserve of lower discontinuous naturalistic importance, visitors permitted for cultural and observation purposes.
  • Zone C: Internally protected area that coincides with the cultivated areas which can continue in compliance with the general constraints such as the exclusion of artificial fertilizers and anti-parassites. In certain basins of the Reserve. Those formed through clay quarrying, sport-fishing is permitted as in the use of rowing boats in these and certain other areas.

A series of direct interventions to eliminate water pollution, to limit noise and illumination pollution (by abundant tree planting along the busier roads), and to remove rubbish dumps, preparation of the footpaths without architectural barriers, to increase scientific research and to re-establish the most favourable conditions to increase typical flora and fauna and beauty of the area.