FOCE DELL’ISONZO NATURE RESERVE

The Foce dell’Isonzo Regional Nature Reserve, with its heart on the Isola della Cona, is a wetland of international importance located in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Its history is marked by human interventions that, paradoxically, have contributed to increasing its biodiversity. Initially a vast marshy area, the Cona area became an island following a breach of the Isonzo River’s banks in 1895, before being reconnected to the mainland with the construction of a dam in 1938. The Reserve was officially established in 1996 and extends for 2350 hectares along 15 km of the river, affecting the municipalities of Staranzano, San Canzian d’Isonzo, Grado, and Fiumicello. Subsequently, it was recognized as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area.

The Reserve boasts an extraordinary wealth of fauna, with 323 bird species recorded. Its strategic position makes it a crucial point for migratory routes between central-northern Europe and Siberia. The Cona, in particular, is vital for the resting and feeding of numerous species, including the bean goose and the greater white-fronted goose. Rare nesting species such as the Eurasian oystercatcher, little tern, and common tern are also present. The flora is equally diverse, with over 650 species of spontaneous higher plants, some of which are of community and even priority interest. The Reserve includes around twenty habitats of community interest.

The Reserve offers visitors equipped trails with observatories, a Visitor Center with a museum, and the possibility of guided tours. The Reserve was recognized as the best area in Italy for birdwatching in 2007 and received the Green Globe Award in 2010 for the “best renaturation project”.