Parks

The territory of the province of Pavia is home to a network of protected areas created to safeguard the most important ecosystems for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.

The first nature reserves were established in the 1980s with the goal of protecting the populations of herons nesting in the province, in their breeding sites: the heronries. Thus, the Nature Reserves and Natural Monuments of Lomellina and Pavese were created, which, over time, have become a recognized and indispensable part of the Po Valley landscape.

With its 94,923 hectares, the Ticino River Valley Regional Park, established in 1974, is today recognized at the European level as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area due to its habitats and rich biodiversity. In the province of Pavia, it covers an area of 40,687 hectares.

The European Commission has recently recognized two areas in the Oltrepò as Sites of Community Importance: “Sassi Neri – Pietra Corva” (667 hectares in the municipality of Romagnese) and “Le Torraie – Monte Lesima” (598 hectares in the municipality of Brallo di Pregola).