Riserva Naturale Torbiere del Sebino

On the southern shore of Lake Iseo we find the most significant wetland in terms of extent and ecological importance in the province of Brescia. The Torbiere del Sebino Nature Reserve is a collection of reeds and bodies of water surrounded by cultivated fields, where we occasionally encounter the presence of houses and buildings. This fascinating place has a very long history, which makes it unique. Following the appearance of Lake Iseo at the end of the last geological era and the gradual withdrawal of the waters, a marshy depression remained in the area south of Sebino, which later took the name of Torbiere. Over the millennia, the abundant vegetation that grew allowed the growth of a thick layer of peat, which gradually replaced the water. It transformed the area into an expanse of wet meadows, which were used only for the collection of herbs to be dried and with which chairs could then be stuffed.

Nowadays, the Sebin Peat Bogs Nature Reserve is considered a priority area for biodiversity in the Lombardy Po Valley. In fact, it has been declared a “wetland of international importance” under the Ramsar Convention, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the Natura 2000 Network. These recognitions are due to the variety of habitats and species, aquatic and marshy in the area, which are rare or endangered in Italy. Our interventions aim at forestation and forest improvements necessary to ensure the optimal development of the forests present in the reserve. In addition, we will work to improve the wintering and breeding sites of aquatic avifauna, amphibians and reptiles. We will rehabilitate wetlands to restore flooded marsh habitat and rejuvenate vegetation.

This project is co-funded by the Lombardy Region’s Biodiversity and Climate Call (BioClima) and supported by Fondazione Cariplo. Bioclima is an initiative created within the framework of the Lombardy Plan and the LIFE GESTIRE 2020 project that aims to create public-private financing models to catalyze investment in biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation projects in Lombardy’s forests and protected areas.