News

The maintenance of the hydraulic manufact has been continuing by the Veneto Region, during the After-LIFE period. On April the 15th, after winter, the cleaning of the grid, installed on the upstream wall of the building to protect the two pipes that make the freshwater to flow from the river Sile to the Lagoon, has brought the freshwater flow up to full capacity. Indeed, the cleaning  restored the freshwater flows set by the project that are indispensable for the recreation of the typical saline gradient of the lagoon-transition buffer zone, and for the development of the reedbed and its ecosystem services.

Not only conferences and scientific workshops, but also meetings with citizens, are an opportunity, even in the After LIFE period, to disseminate the results of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh. During one of the "Green Wednesdays" meetings organized by the Environmental Group of the Municipality of San Giorgio delle Pertiche (PD), on March the 20^th, the activities carried out by the Project were presented to the citizens. The water was the main topic of the meetings and, in this context, transitional waters, with their peculiar characteristics and problems, as well as the importance of implementing ecological restoration interventions, such as the LIFE Lagoon Refresh, were topics really appreciated by all citizens. Indeed, soon a trip on field will be organized in September by the Group to see the Venice Lagoon and the Project Area.

The information panels describing the project, the habitats and species living in the area have resumed satisfying the curiosity of the bikers and walkers of the path that runs near the LIFE Lagoon Refresh project area. They were installed for the first time in June 2020, at the beginning of the cycle path and immediately after the hydraulic work, to illustrate the objectives and expected results of the project and the characteristics of the habitats and species involved from the project. Due to particularly intense weather events at the end of summer 2022, the noticeboards were removed leaving visitors unanswered questions. Finally, since February 2024, the new noticeboards have been replaced and they could perform their function for the coming years

The international conference on "Conservation and management of wetlands in the face of climate change" was held in Valencia (Spain) from 14 to 16 February 2024, and it was such a new opportunity to disseminate the LIFE Lagoon Refresh project. The Veneto Region, one of the Project’s partner, illustrated the experience of LIFE Lagoon Refresh, as well as the objectives, actions and results, in the section on "Governance and social management". The conference ended with a visit to the Natural Park in Albufera, whose lagoon was selected by the call for interest as one of the European sites for the transferability and replicability of the project  

As expected by the After-LIFE Conservation Plan , participations in national and international conferences, workshops and seminars have continued. Indeed, the LIFE Lagoon Refresh project was presented as a case study to the "5^th European conference on biodiversity and climate change: riverine and coastal wetlands" (5^th BioClim) held from 26 to 28 September 2023 in Bonn, Germany. The conference has organized since 2011 by BfN (German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation) in cooperation with the Network of European National Conservation Agencies (ENCA Network) and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The priority topics of 2023 were about conservation and restoration of riverine and coastal wetlands, and they were discussed and further developed with European experts from science, politics and practise during interactive workshops.  In this context, conservation actions for restoring coastal lagoon habitats of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh were presented giving several experiences and a good background for ENCA Recommendations 2023 titled “Restoring Riverine and Coastal Wetlands in Europe, Scaling Up Action for Biodiversity and Climate”.

The environmental monitoring activities in the LIFE Lagoon Refresh area did not end with the end of the project. In order to verify the effectiveness of the implemented measures, the monitoring activities are continuing in the After-LIFE period. In March and May 2023, researchers and technicians from ISPRA and Ca' Foscari University of Venice seasonally sampled waters. Moreover, the annual samplings of macrozoobenthos and sediments were also performed during the spring survey of waters. In the meanwhile, the probes are regularly checked for maintenance activities to continuously measure salinity.

Each Partner is performing the activities scheduled in the After-LIFE Conservation PLAN, available here. The After LIFE period of LIFE Lagoon Refresh is lasting five years from the end of the project.

On Thursday, March 30th 2023, the training activity began for students of the Scientific High School "Veronese-Marconi" of Chioggia (Venice), winners of the ISPRA Call for PCTO 2021-2023. After a series of classroom lessons dealing with transitional waters, monitoring of lagoon environment, as well as the objectives and actions of LIFE Lagoon Refresh, and the field survey in the project area, carried out during the school year 2021-2022, the students attended the activity of macrozoobenthos sorting and recognition. During the field survey, they collected organisms by samplings, and then they learnt how to recognize them by stereomicroscope, to discover who lives in the soft bottoms of the lagoon, starting to know something about biology and ecology of some species. In addition to the macrozoobenthos laboratory, the students could also map a part of the reedbed of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh, by using data gathered by themselves on the field trip. Next lessons will involve them in the amazing world of the processing of salinity data in waters collected in field by a multiparameter probe.

During the Final Conference, there was the sixth and last visit from the external Monitor, Michele Lischi, designated by the European Commission from the Staff LIFE NAT Monitoring Team of NEEMO.

On 7^th July 2022, the Monitor attended the oral presentations about results obtained by the project for each action. On the day after, in the morning, during the inspection in the LIFE Lagoon Refresh area, the Monitor was able to visit the project on field. Technicians involved in lagoon environmental issues joined the field trip, too. In the afternoon, he could finally check and verify, as usually, all the technical and administrative tasks, too.

Also in this occasion, the monitoring visit was useful to get advice on how to proceed to complete the last duties and to better manage the phase of After LIFE.
We would like to thank all NEEMO Monitors, who have followed our project for these five years, for their willingness and competence. 

The LIFE Lagoon Refresh project, which provides the return of a freshwater input from the Sile River to the Venice Lagoon, is going to be finished. After five years, on 7^th July 2022, the Final Conference was held at University Ca’ Foscari of Venice. During the conference, the project’s staff presented the conservative actions and results from monitoring actions. It was also an opportunity to talk about environmental quality and lagoon restoring with stakeholders , Water managers, Authorities and Institutions, which work in transitional waters.

Thanks to the hydraulic work, the Sile River is again flowing with its freshwater into the lagoon with an inflow of 1000 l/s, while the morphological structures of biodegradable materials ensure the maintenance of the salinity gradient created in the project area. Before interventions the area had values of more than 30 of salinity, while today values are lower than 5 in 5 ha, below 15 in 25 ha and below 25 in 70 ha.

Despite of several difficulties during the project, such as the “Acqua Granda” (high water in Venetian dialect) of November 2019 and COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, waters from Sile Rivers started to flow into the lagoon with their maximum flow since February 2021. Monitoring activities detected first signals and changes in all the biologic communities as responses to variation of salinity in the area.

During the four years of monitoring surveys, more than 32,637 birds were censed in the project area. One hundred and twenty-eight species were detected, and among these sixty-two were waterfowl. Ornithologists have observed changes in composition and abundances of several bird species since 2018. That is a clear signal of biological response to changes in salinity of waters.

Regarding fish fauna, with the freshwater inflow, researchers observed a quality change, mostly at sites closer to the Sile river input, such as the presence of typical species of brackish environments. We are now looking at a significant increase of Pomatoschistus canestrinii and Knipowitschia panizzae, which are species of Community interest, as well as an increase of juveniles of the commercial species Chelon ramada and C. auratus.  These last two species usually enter the lagoon in late autumn and/or early spring, using brackish waters as a nursery area. Generally, the Ecological quality status of fish fauna has improved.

Transplant activities of reedbed and phanerogams occurred in the area, thanks to the involvement of stakeholders, such as fishermen, which were previously properly trained to became transplanters.

In the area next to freshwater input, vegetation has changed progressively in the saltmarshes, with advantages for reedbed. It is now slowly growing thanks both to transplantations and to seedling from plants themselves. Despite it is too early to assess well-developed populations, reedbed is growing quite well where salinity is suitable for it.

Halophytic vegetation showed a clear change on September-October 2021 with an extraordinary bloom of Aster tripolium. More recently on June 2022, Inula crithmoides increased colouring in yellow the edge of saltmarshes, where salinity is lowering. Other variations regarded an increase of Juncus and Spartina.

In addition, aquatic phanerogams (Zostera marina, Z. noltei, Ruppia cirrhosa) also showed very good results, with creation of areas of several meters of diameter as results of several clumps transplantations.

However, to assess quantitatively results, we need more time. Indeed, as observed in LIFE Seresto biological times are longer than 3-4 years from transplants to show evidences.

All beneficiary partners were involved in Transferability and Dissemination actions. By the former, 6 sites were involved through meetings and visits on field, with the aim of replicate what we have done in Venice lagoon to other transitional waters. We also organized two training courses to recognize avifauna and to take naturalistic pictures; we involved 1000 students from primary to high school, as well as students from universities of Padua and Venice, by seminars, webinars, field trips, and practical activities.

Actions of LIFE Lagoon Refresh are not at the end! Partners will hold activities also during the “After LIFE” period, managing the discharge of the fresh water input and continuing the monitoring of the area for the assessment of the good project effects.

At this link, enjoy the brand-new video: “LIFE Lagoon Refresh: a documentary of the project”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me7ErIJhiKs

Photo gallery of the Final conference

The Life Lagoon Refresh project is almost finished and, during these five years, the Videogallery has been enriched of several videos telling about each one of the most relevant steps of the project.

The launching video has been on-line since November 2018, since July 2020, the video showing the activities for the hydraulic and morphological works has been online, since May 2021, it has been available that one about stakeholders involvement, and since February 2022 that one depicting monitoring activities to assess the impact of the interventions on the lagoon environment.

With the conclusion of the project, we realized the two final videos of the series, a short and a full documentary respectively. This last video reports the shoots and interviews of the entire project history, starting from the background focusing on issues in the Venice Lagoon, the realized conservation actions and results that the project has obtained up today, such as the first positive ecological responses of vegetation and fauna in the Lagoon.

The full playlist is available on the videogallery, following this link: http://www.lifelagoonrefresh.eu/media-1/videogallery?set_language=en

Among the activities planned to promote the transferability and replicability of the project, the LIFE Lagoon Refresh promoted a Call for Interest to select six sites where to transfer and replicate strategy, actions and methods of the Project, through a tight program of visits, preparations of scenarios and activities to follow in the After-LIFE of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh. The activity is specifically directed to Water Managers, Researchers, professional and technicians dealing with monitoring, assessment and conservation of EU lagoon and estuarine sites.
The Call for interest closed on 15th February 2020, and several application forms were sent, coming from all over Italy, as well as from Lithuania, Poland, Greece, Netherlands, France and Spain. 
European sites who won the selections are the Spanish lagoon of Albufera, the French salt marshes of Hyeres, and the Greek Nestos Delta and Porto Lagos lagoon.
First, a workshop was held on 8th April 2022 to share conservation and monitoring actions, as well as the strategies for stakeholder involvements, which clearly characterized the LIFE Lagoon Refresh project. We also dealt about common issues that were also topics and key arguments during selection.

Then, on 31st May 2022, referents from European selected sites visited works and place of interventions of the LIFE Lagoon Refresh. During visit, it was very helpful to show the state of play, to improve knowledge about common issues, and to share different point of views.

The seventh Newsletter is now available on the web site in the section Download-newsletter (Italian Language only). The Newsletters provides several sections concerning planning of works and their realization, monitoring and dissemination activities, and networking with updates after the Newsletter no. 6 (published in March 2022) until today.

This issue is dedicated to the first signals received by fish fauna, and there is also a section dedicated to the description of the European sites, winners of the Call for Interest for the transferability and replicability of the project.

All Newsletters contain also a detailed section in the final part, describing different issues related to the project. Previous newsletters dealt with Habitat 1150*- Coastal Lagoon, reedbed, historical diversion of rivers from the Venice lagoon, aquatic phanerogams, project target bird species and target bird species of reedbed. This brand new issue depicts fish fauna species, such as Black-spotted goby, European Flounder and Mullets.

Events of LIFE Lagoon Refresh continue to celebrate the 30^th birthday of both LIFE programme and Natura 2000 Network. This time, LIFE Lagoon Refresh’s staff brought, in the project area, High School Students coming from Chioggia and winners of the ISPRA call for PCTO 2021-2023.

After a series of classroom lessons dealing with transitional waters, monitoring of lagoon environment, as well as objectives and actions of LIFE Lagoon Refresh, students could actually see hydraulic and morphological works, but also try to be scientists for a day. Indeed, they sampled macrozoobenthos, mapped reedbed and assessed the salinity of water.

We hope they enjoyed the day and we are looking forward to seeing them as partners of future LIFE projects.

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the European Natura 2000 Network and the LIFE programme (both born on 21^st of May 1992), LIFE Lagoon Refresh was introduced during the event organized in collaboration with the University of Padua on 9^th and 11^th of May 2022. The activities included a seminar and a field trip with students of the Master’s Degree in Marine Biology coming from all around the world.  Researchers form ISPRA explained the activities carried out for the restoration of the lagoon: hydraulic  and morphological works, transplants of reedbed and aquatic phanerogams, as well as monitoring activities  to assess the achievement of projects’ objectives

We would like to thank organizers and students for their considerable interest, really appreciation and positive feedbacks! 

The sixth Newsletter is now available on the web site in the section  Download-newsletter (Italian Language only). The Newsletter provides several sections. This issue is dedicated to the first signals received by the reeds, after the restoration of the salinity gradient. There is also a section dedicated to the description of the Italian sites, winners of the Call for Interest for the transferability and replicability of the project, and to dissemination and networking events occurred, despite of restrictions due to COVID-19, with updates after the Newsletter no. 5 (published in September 2021).

Each Newsletter contains a general description of the project in the initial part and a detailed section in the final part, describing, each time, different issues related to the project. Previous newsletters dealt with Habitat 1150*-Coastal Lagoon, reedbed, historical diversion of rivers from the Venice lagoon, aquatic phanerogams and target bird species. This brand new issue depicts target bird species of reedbed, such as passerines.

Among the activities planned to promote the transferability and replicability of the project, the Life Lagoon Refresh promoted a Call for Interest to select six sites where to transfer and replicate strategy, actions and methods of the Project, through a busy program of visits, preparations of scenarios and activities to follow in the After-Life of the Life Lagoon Refresh. The activity is specifically directed at Water Managers, Researchers, professional and technicians dealing with monitoring, assessment and conservation of EU lagoon and estuarine sites.

Nationally, three selected Italian sites were: the Apulian Acquatina di Frigole, some lagoons of Delta Po River from the Veneto Region side, and Punta Alberete and Valle Mandriole in Emilia-Romagna.

After a workshop to study conservative and monitoring actions of our Project, on 15^th September 2021 the Italian winners of the call  came and visited the Project Area, both by land and by boat, seeing the hydraulic and morphological works, and attending the demonstration about transplanting techniques of reedbeds and seagrasses.  University of Salento, Sagittaria, Municipality of Ravenna, Delta Po River Park from Emilia-Romagna,  Genio Civile from Rovigo with Project Partners were present.  

Next steps are visits to each site selected by Life Lagoon Refresh staffs to collect necessary information for sharing project strategy, actions and methods.

The fifth Newsletter is now available on the web site in the section Download-newsletter (Italian Language only). The Newsletter is divided into sections. This issue is dedicated to the milestone achievement of recovering the salt gradient in the Lagoon, to the first signals coming from “Avifauna” world, and to dissemination and networking events occurred, despite of restrictions due to COVID-19, with updates after the fourth Newsletter (published in March 2021).
Each Newsletter contains a general description of the project in the initial part and a detailed section in the final part, describing, each time, different issues related to the project. Previous newsletters dealt with Habitat 1150*-Coastal Lagoon, reedbed, historical diversion of rivers from the Venice lagoon, and aquatic phanerogams. This brand new issue depicts target bird species, such as Pygmy Cormorant, Eurasian Bittern, Purple Heron and Little Bittern.

On April 2021, the transplant actions of seagrass and reedbeds in the project area of Life Lagoon Refresh started again. First transplants were carried out during summer 2020, but unfortunately with a little delay on timetable due to COVID lockdowns.

First, reed transplants were carried out on June-July, and then they continued until October 2020 with almost 550 clods being transplanted. Seagrass transplants started in autumn 2020, with almost 330 clods of Zostera marina and Z. noltei.

It was exactly on April 2021, when we intensified our activities of transplants to try tocatch up and accelerate the colonization of the reedbeds and seagrasses in the project area. In April, we transplanted more than 550 clods of reeds, whilst from February to April 2021 about 400 clods of phanerogams were planted. Activities will continue throughout the entire year.

Don’t miss to take a look to the brand new video with interviews of fishermen and fish farmers engaged in transplant actions!

The fourth Newsletter is now available on the web site; section Download-newsletter (Italian Language only). The Newsletter is divided into sections. This issue is dedicated to the starting of freshwater flow from Sile River into the Venice Lagoon, the transplant activities of aquatic phanerogams and reeds, and the Call for Interest to select Italian and European sites  where transfer and replicate the Project, with updates after the third Newsletter (published in April 2020).
Each Newsletter contains a general description of the project in the initial part and a detailed section in the final part, describing, each time, different issues related to the project. This issue explores the theme of aquatic phanerogams.

Among the activities planned to promote the transferability and replicability of the project, on 1^st December 2019 the Life Lagoon Refresh Called for Interest to select six sites where transfer and replicate strategy, actions and methods of the Project, through a busy program of visits, preparations of scenarios and activities to follow in the After-Life of the Life Lagoon Refresh. The activity is specifically directed at Water Managers, Researchers, professional and technicians dealing with monitoring, assessment and conservation of EU lagoon and estuarine sites.

Fourteen applications responded to the call, closed on 15^th February 2020. The proposals concern estuarine and lagoon sites, both Italian and European, and come from Universities, Local Authorities and environmental associations. The selection, managed by the Project Coordinator (ISPRA), was tough due to the quality applications. ISPRA provided positive feedback to all applicants. Three Italian sites were selected: the Apulian Acquatina di Frigole, some lagoons of Delta Po River from the Veneto Region side, and Punta Alberete and Valle Mandriole from Romagna. The European sites are the lagoon of Albufera in Spain, Hyeres salt marshes in France and the transitional waters of Nestos Delta and Porto Lagos in Greece. A specific initiative on transplantation of aquatic phanerogams will be organized for other participants to the call, specifically interested in the topic (e.g.: Lake Grevelingen - Netherlands, Curonian Lagoon - Lithuania, Berre Lagoon - France,  Wolin and Uznam - Poland).  

Networking activities have been activated with the Life projects (e.g.: Life Primed) that participated to the Call for Interest.

 Congratulations to the winners with whom we have for now postponed visits to 2021, waiting for the health emergency to allow us a little more freedom of movement!

The Life Lagoon Refresh project has achieved an important goal: the connection between the Sile River and the Venice Lagoon was completed and modular biodegradables elements were installed in the lagoon in front of the hydraulic work. From May 20th, 2020 the fresh water is flowing from the Sile into the Lagoon. For the occasion, a new project video was published showing some images of the construction phase and the opening of the fresh water input in the lagoon. In the video gallery, the first video is also available, online since 19th November 2018.

Following the end of the morphologic and hydraulic works, and the starting of fresh water flow into the lagoon on 20^th May, the monitoring activities of the project Life Lagoon Refresh have started again. All the monitoring activities of the coastal lagoon habitat, the halophytic habitats and the target bird species are proceeding with the aim of obtaining data and information useful for the verification of project objectives.

Some of the activities planned for monitoring the Coastal Lagoons habitat (1150*) have never been interrupted, in particular, the activities related to the control of salinity and the status of biological communities, such as macrophytes and macrozoobenthos, continued during conservation actions. In June 2020, instead, the monitoring of water and sediment, biodiversity and ecological status of fishing communities and species of commercial interest restarted. ISPRA and Ca' Foscari University of Venice will continue with field activities until 2021. Meanwhile in the laboratories, researchers and technicians of the two Research Institutes are already analysing the first samples collected to verify the values of the chemical-physical parameters of water. The salinity data are monitored daily to verify the diffusion of fresh water into the lagoon. Finally, new updates on the status of the Lagoon Habitat will be provided after the ongoing reed transplants.

Following the end of the hydraulic work and the starting of fresh water flow into the lagoon on 20^th May, the monitoring activities of the project Life Lagoon Refresh have started again. All the monitoring activities of the coastal lagoon habitat, the halophytic habitats  and the target bird species are proceeding with the aim of obtaining data and information useful for the verification of project objectives.

ISPRA birdlife experts have therefore resumed their monitoring activities from June 2020, to verify immediately the effects of the interventions on the area. Complete results on the repopulation of the species of birds of Community interest will be achieved at the end of the monitoring activities. However, experts have already heard one of the target species of the project, the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), hidden among the branches of the reedbed, near the structure for fresh water intake from Sile River. They also reported about Pygmy Cormorans (Microcarbo pygmaeus) cleaning their plumage in the lagoon side at the intake point of fresh water, and even about young Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) feeding between the new morphological structures.

The Life Lagoon Refresh project has achieved an important goal: the connection between the Sile River and the Venice Lagoon has been completed and from May 20th, 2020 the fresh water is flowing from the Sile into the Lagoon.

After several unforeseen events, which slowed down the construction sites, such as the exceptional weather event of November 2019 and the health pandemic of 2020, both the hydraulic and morphological works were finally completed and the fresh water input from the Sile Rivers to the Lagoon is now active. Fresh water flows by gravity within the inlet work, as a function of the difference in water level between the river and the lagoon, with variations that depend on the tidal regime. The first regulation of the sluice gates allows an average flow rate of 300 l/s. To avoid the sudden dispersion of fresh water, modular biodegradables elements were installed in the lagoon in front of the hydraulic work. The fresh water and the altimetric variability produced by the morphological structures will make the lagoon environment suitable for reedbed growing.

The next steps involve the planting of reeds and aquatic phanerogams, thanks to the involvement of hunters and fishermen, assiduous frequenters of the area, previously trained during the course of July 12th, 2019 . The fresh water flow rate will be gradually increased up to a maximum average value of 1000 l/s and a second front of biodegradable structures, that limits the flow of fresh water, will be placed.  Monitoring activities will verify the efficiency of the works and the effects on the animal and plant communities on the project area. The conservation actions of the Life Lagoon Refresh aim to counteract the saline gradient loss, mainly due to the diversion of rivers, and to increase the biodiversity of fishes, birds, animals of mobile bottom and plants.

The official opening is postponed for now, waiting for fewer restrictions on the social distance of the period. In the meantime, we invite you to follow our updates on this website or visit the social media channels of the project.

The third Newsletter is now available on the web site, section Download-newsletter (Italian Language only). The Newsletter is divided into sections. This issue is dedicated to updates on the state of progress of construction sites, salinity monitoring activities, training courses, communication and networking activities carried out until February 2020, with updates after the second Newsletter (published in October 2019).
Each Newsletter contains a general description of the project in the initial part and a detailed section in the final part, describing, each time, different issues related to the project. This issue explores the theme of the historical deviation of rivers flowing into the Lagoon of Venice and the consequences on the lagoon ecosystem.

On 9th December 2019, the Life Lagoon Refresh project was presented to members of Wetlands International Europe as an example of ecological restoration of wetlands in brackish environments.
On that occasion, the Call for Interest, which will expire on 31 January 2020, and which contains expressions of interest for anyone working on the assessment, conservation and restoration of Natura 2000 sites in transition environments, was also presented.

Thanks again to all the members of the partner associations of Wetlands International Europe for their great interest and hospitality!

On October and November 2019, the avifauna experts from ISPRA held a basic course on the monitoring of water birds within the framework of the Life Lagoon Refresh project. The course was offered free of charge by the Project and guested by the Veneto Region in Ve-Mestre (Venice). 

The course aimed to introduce the Life Lagoon Project and its objectives and to transfer the basic knowledge on the themes and methodologies of the census activity and on how to recognize the water species more easily contactable in the Northern Adriatic Sea. During three intense afternoons (18th, 25th October and 8th November), the 38 participants, hosted by the Veneto Region, received notions about: the institutional resources that govern the censuses of birdlife, both globally and locally; the importance of the role of human resources; techniques and methods of counting. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to learn especially about the aquatic birds, going to deepen the differences between the various, more common and easily contactable species. Each of them received a certificate of participation and the “Guide of the birds of Europe”, 4th version published by Ricca Ed.. 

We are very proud of our students, very passionate and curious people, of various extraction, age and training, eager to learn and increase their knowledge on the issues related to water birds. The course aroused much interest by highlighting the desire to learn and the passion of the participants who, since the first exchanges, have shown great fervour and attention throughout the course. 

Considering the broad consensus of the participants and the suggestions received during and after the course, we do not exclude the possibility of replicating the initiative.

For all those who are interested in participating in this kind of activities, please visit our website and social pages to remain updated. Actually, other events on the subject of birdlife are coming, for example… a photo hunt!

On 30th and 31st October 2019 there was the third visit from the external Monitor, designated by the European Commission. 

As with previous visits, all project partners met at ISPRA in Chioggia (Venice) to explain the progress of the Project Actions both for the technical and administrative aspects. On the second day, the visit continued in the sites of the morphological and hydraulic  interventions. During the inspection in the Life Lagoon Refresh area, the Monitor, Mascha Stroobant, was able to visit the project on the ground and to see the progress of the work!