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This case study consists of a Demonstrator Site. It does not have any Follower Site.
DS#8 - "Venice" (Italy)
The case study in 5 minutes
Location
The demonstration site, the Venice Lagoon Basin, is located in the Veneto region in northeast Italy. A new NBS will be implemented along the Pianton river in the municipality of Mogliano Veneto.
The NBS will be assessed comparing the system with control sites and with reference sites characterized by the traditional approach.
Considering that nature evolves slowly towards equilibrium, two “mature” watercourses where the NBS was already implemented in the past are considered as reference: Vernise and Scandolara in the municipality of Zero Branco.
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Description of the area
- Biogeographical region: Continental
- Veneto ranks 2nd in Italy for soil consumption
Drainage basin: 2,000 km² → 1,000 km² studied in NATALIE
Drainage network: ~2,300 km of streams
Region: Rural/agricultural, yet densely urbanized
Policy engagement: Veneto Region signed the EU Mission Charter on Adaptation
Climatic Challenges
Planned activities
Continuous river maintenance is the primary prerequisite for preventing landslides along their banks, and therefore represents a fundamental measure for preventing land flooding. Adequate and regular water flow in the network can also mitigate the risk of water scarcity for agriculture. Rising temperatures, in fact, not only affect the frequency of extreme storms and droughts, but also lead to increased water demand for crops. Revegetation will help reduce the risk of biodiversity loss and increase the potential for ecological connectivity with other green areas.
In DS#8 two types of NBS will be implemented and monitored: (1) “gentle” maintenance, (2) slope reduction and vegetation planting.
NBS1: “Gentle” maintenance
This solution is designed to ensure regular water flow and can contribute somewhat to erosion prevention. It involves maintaining a strip of untouched herbaceous vegetation at the base of the banks.
NBS2: Slope reduction and revegetation
A second NBS was deployed in sections of the river where landslides were already present. A series of activities were already implemented and others are ongoing:
Enlargement of the riverbed, restoring eventual landslides and reshaping the banks with a slope reduction.
- Vegetation. Transplanting and revegetating the banks will also help consolidate the soil and reduce the risk of landslides, while also contributing to increased biodiversity.
Social awareness. A dialogue will be initiated with citizens and landowners. Farmers' associations in particular should be involved as key stakeholders.
Social engagement and awareness. A dialogue will be initiated with citizens and landowners. Farmers' associations in particular were involved as key stakeholders
Strengthening skills. Workers in the sector will be trained to adopt the proposed approach. This will result in the development of new skills and the training of qualified workers.
Monitoring. This activity is essential for evaluating the progress of the NBS implementation process as well as the effectiveness and impact of the approach. Therefore, appropriate indicators were studied and selected for monitoring. The monitoring parameters refer to both the environmental and social fields: Environmental parameters will track changes in biodiversity, hydrology, and geomorphology. Social parameters incorporate indicators of capacity building and social acceptance.
Progress
The Italian case study is currently experiencing a very positive phase: all activities are progressing according to the planned schedule, and the fieldwork at Pianton river was completed. The preliminary (before works) monitoring activities, essential for gathering data on the current state of the intervention area, have all been completed during the year 2024. In particular, the following have been carried out: topographic surveys, biodiversity monitoring (including birds, Odonates, Lepidoptera and vegetation), mapping of coypu burrows and characterization of the flow regime of the Pianton stream.
Moreover, thanks to measurements taken during several rainfall events, it was possible to calibrate a stage-discharge curve for Pianton.
The topography of the site has been accurately documented through both ground-based surveys and the use of drones, enabling a fruitful collaboration with the Laboratorio di Geomatica of the Iuav University of Venice, the Veneto Region, and the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPAV). Lidar data and ground-based surveys were then merged in order to achieve a complete digital model of the watercourse which is at the base of the modelling activity.
Significant knowledge was achieved during the procedures for the acquisition of the intervention areas. This made it possible to execute works on the Pianton stream, involving a modification of the bank geometry to improve flow and ecological function, between March and April 2025. Planting operations were finalized in May 2025.
Stakeholder engagement activities are also ongoing. In July 2024, a Focus Group dedicated to stakeholders in the agricultural sector was launched. In November, the first workshop for the creation of the Transformation Labs took place in the Municipality of Mogliano Veneto. During this workshop, the groundwork was laid to develop a cost-benefit analysis for the entire project.
A second workshop (Transformation Lab) was held in June 2025 to further encourage local stakeholder involvement and identify co-creation actions. In particular, the possibility to have access to territorial data to better understand the territory and the request to promote a new culture represent demands that emerged in the framework of the co-creation process. The process motivated the activation of two citizen science events in March 2026. During the events, citizens, NGOs, institutions, and students tested the NATALIE methodology (under the supervision of Earthwatch - project partner) for the engagement, including the study of biodiversity, soil health and water quality.
During 2025 the biodiversity monitoring for the NBS1 – Gentle maintenance was executed. The elaboration and analysis of field data is still ongoing, the production of vegetation maps requires a coupled analysis of data on the ground and high quality aerial images.
The first year of after works monitoring for the NBS2 – Slope reduction and vegetation, surveying vegetation, birds and entomofuna (Odonates and Lepidoptera) started in April and was completed in September 2026. The activities for the elaboration of field data are ongoing.
Some replication experiences are already in the pipeline. The Acque Risorgive Consortium identified four places to test new NBS2 implementation and the design procedures already started. As an outcome of the social engagement activities, one of the institutional stakeholders involved in the Transformation Labs, namely the Province of Treviso, requested partners collaboration in preparing a call for proposals aimed at funding municipalities in the province and promoting sustainable ditches maintenance interventions. Consequently, the Province allocated €500,000 to support municipalities in carrying out ditches maintenance in a sustainable manner, adopting a number of measures and recommendations provided by NATALIE project partners and incorporated into the guidelines of the call for proposals. In October 2026 the Italian partners participated to the launch event of the call presenting the NATALIE approach.
Ambition
Ambition during the project
NBS will be in place probably at the end of the second year, so at the end of the project, experience will be gained about the land acquisition procedure. Moreover, the monitoring the evolution of the site for at least a couple of years will provide evidence-based on the measure effectiveness and workers will have gained a new know how. Moreover, the solution will have been discussed with several stakeholders, mainly farmers association, hence increasing the social acceptance of the NBS implemented.
Ambition after the project
Implemented NBS will continue their function and the institution in charge of the maintenance will keep on carrying out the task, also to monitor the frequency needed for maintenance also in the medium-long term.
Questions
“Solutions inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience.” European Commission, 2015
Gallery
Leaflet
Involved partners
