Tarquinia Plain, Lazio Region, Italy
Project ended
Pilot site
The Tarquinia Plain, a major agricultural area in central Italy, faces severe water quality degradation, rising irrigation energy costs, soil degradation. and a reduction in the use of agricultural land due to the contraction in farming activities. The region faces as well increasing drought in the summer and flood in the fall. The LENSES project aims to improve water resource management and enhance the resilience of local ecosystems through participatory planning and the design of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) tailored to the region’s agricultural and environmental context.
Tarquinia, part of the UNESCO World Heritage network, covers 27,000 hectares and relies heavily on tourism and agriculture. Around 85% of the territory is designated as a nitrate vulnerable zone, with widespread groundwater contamination and soil degradation due to intensive farming. Farmers face rising energy costs for irrigation, land use change pressures, and competition from renewable (photovoltaic) energy developments. The area also experiences frequent floods and droughts, threatening both agricultural productivity and tourism.
The project developed and evaluated a set of Nature-Based Solutions designed to improve water quality, enhance ecosystem resilience, and support sustainable agriculture. These solutions span protection of natural ecosystems, adoption of agro-ecological practices, and restoration of degraded landscapes. Implementation relies on stakeholder collaboration and participatory planning to ensure local ownership and feasibility within the Tarquinia Plain’s agricultural systems.
The intervention process focused on designing NBS bundles specific to the Tarquinia context, informed by a participatory, multi-stakeholder methodology.
The project identified three categories of NBS. Type 1 - Ecosystem Protection: Limiting harmful land uses, maintaining wetlands, protecting natural forests from degradation, and ensuring ecological network continuity. Type 2 - Agro-Ecological Practices: Introducing sustainable farming techniques such as crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, mulching, compost and biochar integration, and agroforestry to improve soil structure and carbon storage. Type 3 - Ecological Restoration: Implementing erosion control systems, slope and riverbank revegetation, floodplain restoration, and establishment of hedgerows and flower strips to intercept surface runoff and enhance biodiversity.
A participatory framework was established to involve farmers, landowners, and residents in identifying local challenges, selecting suitable NBS, and co-developing implementation pathways. Awareness and education campaigns complemented these technical efforts, promoting responsible water use and sustainable management of natural resources. The project also linked the NBS design to a System Dynamic Model to simulate interconnections between water, ecosystems, and food production systems, strengthening decision-making for future implementation phases.
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