Val Rosandra and the contested riverbed cleaning

On 24-25 March the Italian civil protection service cleared the bed of river Rosandra in Val Rosandra, the beautiful nature reserve on the outskirts of Trieste in NE Italy and world famous for its historic crags.

This operation, a part of the programme "Clean Riverbeds 2012" has been severely criticised by environmentalists , who contest the "total devastation" of the felling and the actual timing which occurred during the breeding season for birds and amphibians. The environmental action group Legambiente denounced the operations and on April 1 a demonstration took place in defence of the valley.

For those who want to know more, we recommend these three videos, the first by the local TV TG3, the second was shot immediately after the felling and the third, highly interesting, is by biologist Dario Gaspar who has estimated that over 30 years will be needed for the site to be restored to its former glory.