Mantua is located in the territory of Mincio Park, A protected area that extends across the province along the Mincio River, from lower Garda to the Po. It is one of the first parks created in Lombardy, and its management is entrusted to an entity formed by the riverside municipalities and the Province of Mantua. The park also includes six nature reserves (Mincio Valleys, Vallazza, Castellaro Lagusello, Garzaia di Pomponesco, Palude di Ostiglia, Isola Boscone) and twelve sites of the European Natura 2000 network.
The variety of environments that make up the Park allows for the conservation of a very varied and diverse fauna.
The Mincio ecological corridor constitutes a migratory route of great importance for many bird species. In the Mincio River and Valleys Nature Reserve“ and in the Vallazza Nature Reserve“ – which represent some of the largest and most important wetlands in northern Italy – numerous species are present, in particular the various herons colonial ones (Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Little Egret and Cattle Egret), diurnal birds of prey (Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine), grebes and the ducks (Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard Duck, Mute Swan).
The protected area hosts two amphibian species and one reptile: the European crested frog, the great crested newt, and the European pond turtle. Among the invertebrates, noteworthy are the European crayfish, the hermit beetle, the marsh lycena, and the spurge beetle, a highly localized and seriously threatened species.
In the waterways there are also numerous fish species such as pike, perch, rudd, barbel, roach, damselfish, bleak and minnow, particularly exposed to the risk of predation by invasive species such as the wels catfish: to protect them, the Mincio Park has promoted the creation of suitable environments to improve their reproductive habitats, with the installation of litter, fagots and woody debris, particularly in the Mincio Valleys and the Lakes of Mantua.
Periurban Park
