The RIGED-RA project was part of the 'VI Cooperation Agreement between the Municipality of Ravenna and ENI' and the main objective was to define the coastal hydrodynamics, state of erosion, and characteristics of the Ravenna coast and dune belt, from the Reno to the Bevano mouths.
During the project, suitable intervention strategies for coastal dune protection, recovery, and conservation were defined. Guidelines for the local authorities directly involved in the management / planning of the coastal zone were defined. Moreover, the south of the Bevano mouth (Lido di Classe) was identified as pilot case for a Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) intervention of dune recovery.

The restoration project involved the construction of a windbreak barrier which has the purpose of: reducing wind speed and favouring the deposition of sand; facilitating the generation of embryo dunes; preventing sand loss towards the inland and reducing the erosive effect by wind; preventing trampling; offering an opportunity for ecosystem recovery.
The windbreak barrier consisted of a grid of fences parallel to the coast, held together by wire. The first line was positioned at the dune foot, while the second about 2 m upward from the first. The two lines were connected by perpendicular portions ('mesh' technique). The intervention had a total extension of about 500 m.
The study and intervention were conducted by the I.G.R.G Group of the University of Bologna (Ravenna Campus) in collaboration with the Municipality of Ravenna and the Carabinieri Territorial Office for Biodiversity of Punta Marina. Furthermore, the group had the technical-scientific support of EID-Mediterrenèe, a French public company operating in the sector of management and protection of coastal systems.
The site continues to be periodically monitored.

Partecipation in the project:
staff of the I.G.R.G. research group  (UNIBO): Giovanni Gabbianelli, Luigi Cantelli, Marco Antonellini, Beatrice M.S. Giambastiani, Flavia Sistilli, Stefano Fabbri, Nicolas Greggio, Frederico Scarelli, Giusy Marcheselli, Francesco Stecchi, Antonino Calafato, Fabio Gamberini, Carlo Alfonso Lipparini, Nicola Merloni

Collaboration: Hugues Heurtefeux (EID-Mediterrenèe)

Duration: 2013-2016 (3 years)

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