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Valle del Ticino

The Valle del Ticino is a ‘riverscape’ biosphere reserve along the Ticino River in the north of Italy, situated at the meeting place of the culturally rich regions Lombardy and Piedmont. It represents an important ecological corridor within the urbanized and industrialized Po plain. The site encompasses a mosaic of ecosystems with large river habitats, wetlands, riparian woods and patches of primary plain forest which covered the entire valley during Roman colonization. At the same time, the area is characterized by its traditional rural landscape with semi-natural ecosystems with paddy rice, cornfields, permanent grasslands and ‘marcita’ (water-meadow).

432,700 people live in the biosphere reserve (1999) who are mainly engaged in services and industry. With the ‘tool’ of the designation as biosphere reserve, management of the area aims at calibrating economic activities so that the conservation of this cultural landscape with its rich history is ensured in cooperation with local communities. Rural communities are hoped to benefit from increased sustainable uses of the area such as ecotourism and recreational activities, environmental education and training. Within the Ticino Lombardo and Ticino Piemontese natural parks, visitor centers and information, point walking trails and cycling paths have been created. The cycling paths run for more than 100 km and touch on places of natural interest. These activities are carried out by Parks in collaboration with environmental associations of the two regions. Read more about this reserve on the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves website.