Sunset on a summer evening at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, photo by Michele Bellemo
Unique colors and profiles that illustrate the passage of time: twelve months illustrated by breathtaking photos. The naturalist Lasen: our territory is still intact, we can be envied
BELLUNO. The last rays of the sunset light up the Dolomites with a unique pink in the world. The white of the snow dominates for months, pierced in spring by the bright purple of the crocus, before the gaze returns to be captured by the whiteness of the wild daffodils, by the blue and azure declined in every shade of the sky and of the alpine lakes, and of the Piave. Until the first autumn mists, to the spectacle of the foliage. Unique colors and profiles that illustrate the passage of time: twelve images to embellish the calendar of the Belluno people that the Corriere delle Alpi, as usual, returns to give away on newsstands. The appointment with the calendar is for Tuesday.
Val Soffia in the Mis Valley, photo by Marco Cassol
Unique land
A unique land. “Have we ever wondered why so many South Tyrolean friends envy us?” Because? “Because our provincial territory is not compromised, from a naturalistic point of view, as that of Bolzano is”. Word of Cesare Lasen, one of the most accredited Italian scholars of biodiversity, scientific consultant of the Unesco Dolomites Foundation, member of the Diocesan Commission for the protection of creation. Will it ever be possible, we object to him, that our highlands are better preserved than those of South Tyrol? «The daffodil meadows of the Sinistra Piave are unique – exemplifies the naturalist – We do not have pastures at high altitudes so over-exploited that we do not even know where to throw the sewage from stables and mountain huts. There are wilderness areas here that just don’t exist elsewhere ».
The Antelao at sunset, photo by Paolo Ciotti
In Trentino Alto Adige the natural parks are managed punctually, to a truly conservative extent, but at the same time agriculture is so intensive that it creates problems of environmental impact. «Of course, we Belluno unfortunately are not as skilled as they are at communicating our natural excellence. But what we lack is the awareness of having a heritage, made up of highly natural, if not completely intact, ecosystems. It is our real capital, even with regard to a compatible tourism economy ».
A matter of awareness
Once the awareness of the unity of our provincial creation has been acquired, it is necessary to quickly put a hand to the misdeeds that have been committed, redeveloping the territories. “I admit, it’s easy to say. Everything becomes more complicated for us, because we are in a phase of depopulation, if not abandonment ». The first thing to do? «Resume the mowing of the meadows, rearrange the natural environments around the high mountain villages and then descend towards the valley»: Lasen has no doubts about this. Mowing the lawns – we allow ourselves to cast a doubt – or create new infrastructures, maybe even new plants to beat the abandonment of quotas? «The bill cannot be just economic. The balance is also naturalistic. What do tourists prefer in this post-pandemic? ».
The timeless magic of autumn in Cansiglio, photo by Tita Fain
Lasen recalls that 54% of the province’s territory is already included in the Natura 2000 network. But Europe is urging to reach 30% of protected areas, with a third of these fully protected. “In general planning, if we believe this value is important, we must behave accordingly in making decisions. We have a conception of the environment and nature that is more aesthetic, more romantic, even emotional, but we do not take into account the functioning of global and therefore also local ecosystem balances ». Realizing? «We were talking about the flowery prairies of the left, but also of the Piave right. Here, my suggestion is not to abandon everything to wild pasture. The pasture is good at high altitudes ». The protection interventions, therefore, could concern three sectors: herbaceous formations important for the fauna (lawn to be mowed, where possible, and pasture that is managed, not left to the freedom of animals); the forests to be safeguarded, limiting the cutting to what is necessary, perhaps close to the villages so that they are not suffocated by the woods; humid environments, which represent a priority because it is here that the maximum biodiversity is concentrated (in Comelico we boast about a hundred sites), and then the springs and peat bogs. «This is our capital. Are we aware of it? Well, now let’s protect him ».
As the months go by, page after page, the calendar will keep in mind what assets we have. Appointment on Tuesday.