Habitat Management & Restoration

[Rishi]

Gotta mention the recent drastic changes in Venice (some of the popular photos/videos are from adjoining areas though) here! Coronavirus lockdown has transformed La Serenissima’s waterways & coastal waters.

The apparent cleanliness of the water is not in fact due to a lack of pollution, but the reason is the absence of motorised transport, which normally churns up the muddy canal floor.
With the water-traffic halted & tourists gone, the canals got a clear view of the sandy bed, but shoals of tiny fish, scuttling crabs and multicoloured plant-life.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Birds like cormorants & ducks, have returned to dive for fish they can now see.

*This image is copyright of its original author

As its common with social media, some claims are over the top though.
Swans were already regular visitors in canals of Burano, an island in the bay of Venice. Marine wildlife, like dolphins, would sometimes enter the bay, but the supposedly recent video was actually filmed last year.

*This image is copyright of its original author

 


The Venice lagoon is a fragile ecosystem... If possible then after this crisis blows over, they should keep some parts off limits. Reply