Val di Mello Natural Reserve is the largest nature reserve in Lombardy, a must-see destination in Valtellina. Dubbed “Little Yosemite” by some because of the similarities of its granite walls and erratic boulders to the famous California park, the Reserve is beloved by mountaineering and climbing enthusiasts from around the world. Its 4,500 hectares of land, included in the municipalities of Val Masino and Mello, in the province of Sondrio, are mountain territories one quarter covered by forests and partly protected as a Natura 2000 Site. The wide altitudinal range (between about 1000 and 3400 m a.s.l.) includes heterogeneous environments, valuable from the point of view of landscape, nature and wildlife. There is no lack of examples of anthropized landscape, linked to traditional agro-pastoral activities.

The project involves the improvement of protected forests as priority habitats, such as beech and alder alluvial forests. In addition, it aims to restore dry stone walls: typical structures of the area that, in addition to preserving the historical memory of the landscape, become habitats for some priority species, for which the European Community has a special responsibility and attention.

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.