The Travel Corporation’s Tour Brands not-for-profit foundation, TreadRight, has partnered with Venice’s Barena Association to preserve the Northern Venetian Lagoon.
The move aims to support and protect its unique wetland environment, fauna and flora, as well as the culture and traditions surrounding the lagoons.
This marks TreadRight’s 5th nature-based solution partner, with the foundation now supporting more than 60 projects worldwide since 2008. The partnership aligns with TTC Tour Brands’ net zero ambition and Climate Action Plan, with the foundation now prioritising support for nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
Barena Association’s flagship project is SOS Barena, which aims to protect and restore sections of the intertidal salt marshes in the Northern Venetian Lagoon, locally known as “barene”.
The lagoon’s distinctive habitats are rapidly disappearing through erosion, primarily due to human impact. TreadRight’s grant will be instrumental in the construction of up to 150 metres of barriers, called fascines, made with biodegradable material and installed with the support of local fishermen.
Once installed, sediment will be pumped between the fascines and the marsh’s edge. These fascines serve to shield the marshes from waves and help root systems develop in the mud, thereby safeguarding the marsh soil from further erosion.
“As one of Italy’s largest coastal wetlands, the Venice Lagoon is not just of deep significance environmentally, but also culturally,” chief sustainability officer at The Travel Corporation and head of TreadRight, Shannon Guihan, said. “Our newest nature-based solution partner, Barena Association, acknowledges this beautifully by harnessing the knowledge and skillset of the local fishermen, who design and install interventions to stall rapid erosion and maintain the lagoon’s power to trap carbon.
“The Barene is critical to the unique ecosystem that encompasses Venice, and we are exceptionally pleased to champion this initiative through our TreadRight grant” she adds.
Salt marshes not only host rich biodiversity in terms of habitats, fauna such as water birds and flora, but are also one of the ecosystems that sequester the most carbon per unit surface. This project will allow Barena Association to avoid CO2 emissions in the range of 17.7- 59.3 tonnes, achieved through the carbon sequestration capability of the habitats, which would otherwise be eroded without protection.
At the core of the SOS Barena project is the involvement of the local fishermen and other community members in designing and implementing these conservation actions. With their knowledge and intimate connection to the lagoon, the Barena Association aims to establish an approach that will be sustainable, long-term, and both ecologically and socially beneficial.
“Saltmarshes effectively absorb carbon emissions, which makes them crucial in addressing climate change, but they also enable traditional fishing culture to thrive – and that is paramount to ecological sustainability,” Barena Association president Allison Zurfluh said.
“In the northern Venice Lagoon, we are committed to nature-based solutions installed by traditional Buranello fishermen not only to protect and restore these valuable saltmarshes, but because the methods we use directly support their lifestyle as custodians of the lagoon. We believe in what we are doing and are passionate about it. Our gratitude to the Treadright Foundation runs deep.”
To make a donation to the Barena Association, click HERE.
Feature image: Nature-based solutions help the salt marsh to repair itself. Picture: Allison Zurfluh
