From the nesting of the Nicece to the return of the wolf: so from a landfill the WWF Oasis of Ripa Bianca was born

The history of the WWF Oasis of Ripa Bianca di Jesi begins with a colony of nicece (NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX) which is settled spontaneously first along the Esino river and then on the lake of a former disused quarry. In an apparently very hospitable territory, where the municipal landfill had also been activated for years, Sergio Romagnoli And other members of the Association decide to fight for the safeguarding of these animals and the whole environment. So since 1997 the area of ​​18 hectares – between the regional parks of Monte Conero and the Gola della Rossa and Frasassi – is protected and has become part of the heritage of those that Today are the 100 oasis of the WWF (imagine and designed by Fulco Pratesi, the founder of WWF Italia), while since January 2003 the Regional Nature Reserve of 310 hectares, Inside which there are a didactic-naturalistic area and about 150 species of birds such as the Marangone Minor, which here since 2010 finds the most important nesting site for the Marche, the Nicece (now a symbol of the Oasis), the Airone Cenerino, the Garzetta, the Airono Guardabuoi, the Cormorant, the Knight of Italy, the Falco Pellegrino. Without forgetting also numerous species of mammals such as Volpi, rates, insults, roe deer, squirrels, wild boars and wolves, and other animals such as the emerald toad whose reintroduction is looking for in some dedicated ponds.

Ripa Bianca is a concrete example of how through careful management and targeted interventions of ecological redevelopment A rich environment can also be obtained from a degraded territorial reality
of biodiversity. «The fundamental intuition of Romagnoli was that, as a profound connoisseur of nature and idealist-environmentalist who loved to put his ideas into practice, to discover, and therefore want to preserve, a gauze populated by some dozens of niptire pairs. In an area where he had already fought for the defense of the river, exploited for the gravel quarries, « he tells the Corriere della Sera David Belfiori, since 1997 director of the Oasis. « Romagnoli – he says – was an naturally charismatic person, who knew how to involve people and transmit the wonder of nature and involve different people in the battles in which he believed. Not surprisingly – adds Belfiori, remembering the title of the environmental education center – he loved to repeat: « No film, no photography, however beautiful, they will allow you to love wealth, colors, life hidden in river nature ». Oasis, continues, « is for me synonymous with a generally protected place from man’s action, First of all Because nature is not disturbed its profession can do it very well. It is a place of well -being, from a natural and life point of view ».

Ripa Bianca, a unicum of oasis in the city, it can be an area where to experiment and implement good sustainable management practices in the area: « In a territory where there was a landfill and still today a collector of the white waters of the industrial area, we want to demonstrate that a more sustainable management of the territory is not only possible, but it is also replicable in other areas », adds Belfiori, underlining the precious proximity of the oasis not only to the city of Jesi, but also from the province of Ancona itself.

Dozens of projects activated in the Oasis who see the presence of 8-9 thousand people per year (from the creation of artificial wet areas to experimentation of methods of preventing damage from wildlife, From the welcome of migrants to the involvement of the grandparents, passing through the construction of a multi-sensory path for children and the creation of houses to offer a refuge in bees and other pollinating insects): «Over the years we have for example hosted, and we are ready to start again in the future, several migrant people thanks to the Protective system for asylum seekers and refugees (Sprar). A couple of days a week, we taught them some practices on the care of green and Italian, both useful for integration and a future job placement, as happened to a boy who was with us two years and then returned to Africa, « he recalls. Without forgetting to share – with a smile – also The stories of two boys originally from Gambia active in the Oasis and the party organized with them, which saw the performance of a musical group that used recycled instruments and the preparation of typical dishes: « On that occasion, a day dedicated to integration, we made simple games such as the shooting shot or the sack race ».

In 2010, however, the project was born « The grandfather cultivates », forbidden to minors of 60 years, which has already involved 20 users. «The idea was to have some cultures always available in the area to show children who visit, as well as explain that it can be cultivated in a biological way. Thanks to the insertion of the grandparents in nine gardens We can tell the school groups how the cultivation takes place, how it is kept, and also start an intergenerational integration project aimed at Transfer of knowledge from old to new generations. A different moment than what could be the meeting in a bar « , clarifies Belfiori, speaking of the days dedicated to organic agriculture with the preparation of » parties and snacks made with the products of the garden, the involvement of individual elderly people with the affixing of Tarters indicating « the vegetable garden of » And the possibility of bringing grandparents to school to explain how to grow and how to use some tools in the field for example. In short, all activities of social integration and active longevity ».

To date in the Oasis – open to the public every Sunday, except in the months of December, January, July and August, with a ticket of 4 euros – they work Four people, in addition to a dozen volunteers: David, the Director Tutto-Pare; Alessandro who deals with maintenance and guided visits on Sunday, as well as being an operator for the summer centers; Gianluca, part-time manager of the administrative part, also active in Sunday openings; and Darina, contact person in the education sector and manager of the environmental education center. In recent months Noemi deals, then, as a consultant, of the scientific part and takes care of a project of monitoring and control of exotic species, as well as the census of butterflies. Finally, there are seasonal operators for guided tours of school groups and summer centers.

It is difficult to find a project that sees it « most » involved: « What gives me the most satisfaction – confesses – has been able to be able in twenty years of transform this place and have created a community of relationships Among the municipality, volunteers, elderly people, disabled people, associations and farmers. Always ready to find new areas to be redeveloped and having acquired a certain credibility over time. We have naturally redeveloped, ecologically, an area that was of public state property that was practically cultivated illegally « , confesses, remembering one of the peculiarities of this oasis where almost 200 hectares are privately owned And where the conflicts were on the agenda, just think for the presence of wild boars. « Over the years one of the objectives has also been to mitigate the clashes and find a solution between the different subjects involved ».

In a historical moment in which the Permanent Committee of the Bern Convention approved the proposal for the EU presented by the EU to reduce the wolf protection status, from Ripa Bianca there is also another news of hope on respect for wildlife: «The wolves arrived in this area about ten years ago, thanks to the possibility of have undisturbed ecological corridors, And from four we are monitoring them through photo-trap. They are extremely quiet and use the river as a motorway to move. The coexistence is positive, also because we have worked so much not only on awareness but also on prevention, informing the people of the territory about the behaviors to be adopted « , clarifies Belfiori, also remembering The extraordinary sighting in the area of ​​a golden jackala small canide (between the wolf and the fox).

Which are Dreams for the future of Oasis? «We aim for re-re-nicking other areas, Also of the border, to export a naturalistic management model and preservation of possible biodiversity. In addition to trying to have more agricultural surface cultivated with a biological method, always respecting the conditions of the area. We would like, then, Involve young people. We are doing it with the school-work alternation projects, with high schools, as well as with those dedicated to teenagers so that they can rediscover the link with nature, passing for example a weekend with us without mobile phones and in camping tent. We must excite them to nature. They will be the people who in a couple of years will be called to say I also have to do something for the planet and to choose politically what to commit every day », concludes the director. « Today we have lost the sense of the limit. We must return to imagine that we cannot take advantage of the resources of the planet without there being consequences ».