Biodiversity
In terms of environmental sustainability, Snam considers it particularly important to safeguard the natural value of local areas affected by new works, beginning with specialised field investigations to acquire knowledge that is as complete as possible of the local area traversed. The results of these investigations help to define and implement the most appropriate design choices for reducing to a minimum the biodiversity impacts generated, particularly in the execution phases, which are followed by environmental restoration and monitoring thereof, carried out in agreement and in cooperation with the entities in charge.
The objective of vegetation restoration, in particular reforestation, is not merely to reconstitute forest areas but to reconstitute the landscape in general and to revive the biological functionality of vegetated areas, understood especially in their role as habitats for fauna with specific biodiversity characteristics. Restoration and reforestation are followed by the execution of “plant care”, i.e. caring for and maintaining the bedded-out plants for a period of at least five years. In particular, in 2015 11 km of new forests were planted in an area of approximately 143,700 m2.
Monitoring projects concern the courses of some methane pipelines that interfere, even marginally, with natural local areas high in fauna and ecological value, and they are geared towards the verification of the process of renaturalising areas affected by works, based on a comparison of conditions after restoration (“post-completion”) and the original conditions (“pre-completion”). Monitoring is normally performed for the most significant habitats identified in the design phase.
Methane pipelines passing through Natura 2000 sites (km)
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Special Protection Zone/Site of EU interest |
km |
Punta Baffe, Moneglia, Val Petronio |
0.306 |
Baraccone (Po – Dora Baltea confluence) |
1.029 |
Ticino Forests |
3.750 |
Po River Alessandria Vercelli section |
0.505 |
Habitats and environmental restoration in Bentivoglio S. Pietro in Casale, Malalbergo and Baricella |
1.715 |
Metauro River from Pian di Zucca to the mouth |
1.955 |
Fiumara La Verde |
0.600 |
Pertusillo Lake |
1.150 |
Total |
11.01 |
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|
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
Restoration |
131 |
78 |
240 |
Reforestation |
22 |
16 |
11 |
Plant care |
135 |
124 |
140 |
Environmental monitoring |
1,063 |
1,055 |
1,009 |
Entity |
Name |
Activities conducted |
Sicily Region |
Bronte – Montalbano methane pipeline |
Collaboration with the Sicily state forests agency continued, with the growing of native forest plants destined for reforestation projects along the course of the methane pipelines laid in the Nebrodi regional park. The final plant care was carried out in 2015, along with the replacement of the last plants that had not taken root. |
Lombardy Region Veneto Region |
Zimella – Cervignano methane pipeline |
Throughout 2015, restoration was carried out along the Zimella – Cervignano methane pipeline, an important gas pipeline 172 km long (underground piping 1,400 mm in diameter), which runs through agricultural areas in the plains between Veneto and Lombardy. In this case, the environmental restoration regarded primarily the return of portions of land used for the pipeline laying works to their original agricultural use, by restoring their morphology and fertility. |
Bronte-Montalbano methane pipeline environmental monitoring completed
2015 was the fifth and last year of environmental monitoring along the Bronte – Montalbano methane pipeline. The pipeline is 23 km long, of which roughly 15 km is located inside the Nebrodi regional park and crosses natural areas with grass growth such as natural and semi-natural pastures, shrub growth and forests. Monitoring was particularly focused on a short section of beech woods in the most attractive part of the park, which is also located at the highest altitude crossed by the pipeline, in the Prete Bianche area. The other forested areas crossed by the pipeline are woods and mixed reforested sections of broad-leaved trees and conifers.
The pipeline was laid in 2009-2010. In 2011, replanting took place using native forest plants supplied by Sicily state forests agency nurseries, particularly raised at the Flascio Nursery located near the methane pipeline route. From 2011 and 2015, plant care was carried out in the reforested areas using regional native plants from nurseries to replace plants that had not taken root.
At the same time, also from 2011 to 2015, periodic specialised surveys were conducted in connection with the environmental monitoring to check on the evolution of the new ecosystems generated by the replanting carried out along the methane pipeline route.
The objective of environmental monitoring was to check the evolutionary trends of the ecosystems during the five years subsequent to replanting, making a comparison with prior conditions, and to characterise factors of flora and fauna biodiversity. The following environmental components were monitored: vegetation, soil and fauna.
Vegetation and soil monitoring took place at six sampling sites (test areas) located along the route, representing the main natural environments impacted: pastures, shrub growth, broad-leaved tree and conifer forests, beech woods and humid grasslands.