The project

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Actions

An integrated strategy of intervention involving 8 concrete actions will be implemented to reach project objectives.

During 1st and 2nd year preliminary actions will strengthen the information base and provide the pre-reintroduction feasibility study, recommended by the European thematic network CRAYNET for the population restoration program (sensu IUCN).

These actions will carry out an extensive survey within all 28 SCIs/SACs of the project, in order to update the description of the current status of native and crayfish IAS populations, to verify the occurrence of the crayfish plague agent both in native and crayfish IAS populations, to identify native populations most significant for the conservation of the species’ genetic variability and to model species-habitat relationships and their variability, using spatial analysis and remote sensing, and localize essential habitat areas.

Simultaneously, a strategic plan for controlling crayfish IAS populations will be designed. A preliminary action envisages training of stakeholder operators from fish associations and Voluntary Ecological Guards, aiming at creating a stable team prepared to support partner beneficiaries during the breeding activities and crayfish IAS captures, along the project lifetime as well as in the Afterlife.

The development of a biodiversity conservation awareness in the local communities is a fundamental step to achieve the objectives of the project. Effective implementation of the 8 concrete conservation actions will be carry out during the following 3 years.

Concerning A. pallipes conservation 4 renovated indoor and outdoor facilities will be established for crayfish breeding. A stock of wild breeders crayfish will be collected from previously selected populations and introduced in the rearing ponds/tanks, since the 2nd project year, in order to produce juveniles required by the restoration programme.

Disease prevention will be ensured by diagnostic monitoring to detect the crayfish plague agent. Non-destructive sampling techniques will be applied for the assessment of A. pallipes. In situ conservation action will envisage enhancement of habitat to increase the availability of shelters, and creation of source areas to favour the in situ reproduction of A. pallipes.

To counteract the mismanagement of salmonids repopulation activities, altering the ecosystem balance and potentially spreading the crayfish plague, a “crayfish zonation map” will be integrated in management plans of all 28 SCIs/SACs of the project; a working group with regional authorities, fishermen associations and local communities as stakeholders will be established.

Concerning the crayfish IAS dispersion and crayfish plague, concrete actions will be focused on to intensive trapping and the construction of physical crayfish barriers to stop the spread of IAS.

A specifically designed communication campaign will include local activities for stakeholders, school children, citizens and fisherman; the “night of the crayfish” will be a brand new event to carry out bio-blitz citizen science nocturnal activities; A concrete conservation plan for native crayfish (actions developed during the project) will be transferred in at least 2 areas outside the project.

Performed activities

Training of personnel and operators (concluded)

Four online lessons were held in 2020 with the participation of 39 operators holding various roles within the project’s technical team.

The alien species control training course, carried out in 2021, consisted in three theoretical online lesson and a practical part. 231 people subscribed to the theoretical lessons, and overall, 67 operators joined both the theoretical and practical parts.

The volunteer training course took place in December 2021 and consisted in a theoretical online lesson and  a practical one The course was aimed at the fishing association involved in the breeding facilities management, and at the partners responsible for the breeding facilities. Overall, 12 operators have been trained and will be used in the regular management of the breeding facilities.

 

Survey onautochtonous and indigenous populations and their habitat status (concluded)

 

The focus of the action was to conduct a biological feasibility study in the project area,

especially in terms of habitat suitability and the source and availability of founders/breeders. All the sites surveyed were georeferenced and mapped;  25% of the sites in the project area were found threatened by drought.. This action produced data for the habitat modelling, the population abundance data necessary for choosing source populations for breeder and  it identified the sites for implementing actions of reproduction and reintroduction.

 

Molecular characterization of A. pallipes populations (concluded)

A first batch of 186 samples representing 20 populations, sampled between 2020 and the

beginning of the summer of 2021, was selected based on the DNA concentration and quality.

The results were made available and immediately analysed so that they could be considered

during to select the source populations for the breeders to be used in the ex-situ breeding plants. A second set of 372 DNA samples representing 37 populations was shipped on 2022 and the respective results were delivered.

 

Modelling A. pallipes habitat (concluded)

 

  1. pallipes habitat suitability in the North-Western Apennines was assessed by applying Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) and a presence-only modelling method, as implemented in Maxent software Habitat modelling provides the information basis for the selection of target reintroduction areas in SCIs (Sites of Community Importance).

 

Strategic Construction Plan (ongoing)

 

The Strategic Plan was drawn up by the PNATE technical staff with the cooperation of the

entire project partnership. It contains all operational details concerning: NICS containment and control measures including priority catch intervention locations and overall strategy for implementation of the control and containment of alien species, more over, it identifies also  the possible locations of the fixed barriers for the containment of NICS (particularly P. lenisculus) in Lago del Brugneto.

 

 

 

 

Control and containment of Cambaridae populations (ongoing)

 

Between April and November 2021, CBPC personnel placed 142 traps and captured 29 P.

clarkii individuals. In Parma, the staff of EPEO and PNATE in 2021 placed 21 traps and

removed 61 P. clarkii individuals.

In addition to the work carried out by the EPEO, PNATE and CBPC staff, by May 2022 project

volunteers had removed over 2,700 P. clarkii specimens caught in over 500 traps.

 

Control and containment of Pacifastacus populations (ongoing)

 

This action comprises the capture and control of the invasive species Pacifastacus leniusculus

within the headwater of the Trebbia river (Lago del Brugneto IT1331019) and the Valla stream

(IT1322304 Rocca dell’Adelasia), where the first two populations of invasive crayfish in Italy

were detected. As regards Lago del Brugneto the capture plan provided for the placement of 10

baited traps at fixed monitoring stations and seventy-six crayfish were caught.

With regard to the activities on the Valla stream, a total of 403 P. leniusculus individuals were captured and removed from the wild

 

Diagnostic aspects and prevention of disease spread in indigenous crayfish (ongoing)

A preliminary evaluation of two alternative non-destructive sampling methods for

Aphanomyces astaci analysis (cuticular swabs and eDNA analysis of water samples) was

conducted before the beginning of the field-sampling season.

Autochthonous crayfish populations were monitored to evaluate the target ICS populations for Aphanomyces astaci presence.

Non-invasive sampling techniques were applied on A. pallipes populations after the successful

standardisation performed in the experimental setup.

Health monitoring performed on A. pallipes populations identified five sampling sites where A. astaci was absent; the crayfish broodstock to be introduced in three breeding facilities (‘Corniglio’, ‘Monchio delle Corti’ and ‘Fontanigorda’) could then be selected from

these sites.

 

Ex-situ breeding for the restoration of A. pallipes populations

The objective is to produce young crayfish for the restocking activities. The young are derived from the spawning of 295 breeding individuals (131 females and 164 males) taken from the wild and transferred to breeding facilities in Monchio, Corniglio e Fontanigorda.

 

Three bredings centers have been built or renovated:

  • a pond of about 50 m2 (10 m x 5 m) was built in the Monchio delle Corti (Parma) breeding centre near the brown trout breeding facility. Work on the breeding facilities was completed as planned, and at the end of September 2021. 117 adult crayfish were added,

 

  • a pond of approx. 50 m2 (10 m x 5 m) was created at the fish hatchery in Corniglio (Parma). Work on the breeding facilities was completed as planned, and at the end of September 2021,123 adult crayfish were added

 

  • The works at the Fontanigorda (Genova) hatchery are complete and involved the preparation of two concrete tanks. At the end of September 2021. 55 adult crayfish were introduced into the second tank

 

Restoration of A. pallipes populations (ongoing)

This fundamental phase of the project follows the successful reproduction that took place at the breeding centres in Emilia, in the municipalities of Monchio delle Corti and Corniglio in the province of Parma, and in Liguria, in the municipality of Fontanigorda in the province of Genoa.

A total of 1,538 young specimens were collected and released: 100 at the Fontanigorda site; 148 at Monchio delle Corti and 1,290 at Corniglio

 

Awareness and communication activities:  (ongoing)

Many communication and awareness-raising tools were created and used:

  • online tools: a website, social channels, a quiz game
  • printed materials: a lealfet for the general public, an educational brochure, dichotomous cards for recognising the different species, a quiz game, exhibition roll-ups
  • t-shirts and flags as gadgets to be distributed to participants in the activities
  • events-many events were organised for schools, stakeholders and the general public, such as educational workshops, outdoor activities in the area, webinars, a course for journalists and a seminar for teachers
  • geocache: a geocache activity was organised in Fontanigorda to promote knowledge of the territory and the issues addressed by the project
  • organisation of and participation in scientific conferences and presentations
  • activity with the media, both traditional (press, TV, radio) and social channels, which produced many posts, press articles and TV reports.