Ticino, Val Grande Verbano Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2002, in Italy. The Valle del Ticino is a riverscape biosphere reserve located along the Ticino River in northern Italy, at the meeting point of the culturally rich regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. The reserve functions as an important ecological corridor within the urbanised and industrialised Po plain. The site encompasses a mosaic of ecosystems with large river habitats, wetlands, riparian woods and patches of primary plain forest, which covered the entire valley during Roman colonisation. The area also features a traditional rural landscape with semi-natural ecosystems, including paddy rice, cornfields, permanent grasslands and marcita (water meadows). People living in the biosphere reserve are mainly engaged in the services and industry sectors.