Marcaria Peat Bogs Nature Reserve
Some History
Marcaria Peat Bogs are situated in the
territory of the Municipality of Marcaria (MN) and represent one of the
last evidences of marshy environments - very widespread in the past -
along the river Oglio. Peat bogs and marshy areas like Marcaria
probably formed in the past a continuum along the river areas; today
they represent rare and fragmented environments both because of land
reclamation activities and river retention works. These relict areas
have been acknowledged all over the world for their high productivity
and biodiversity.
Marcaria Peat Bogs, Nature Reserve of Parco Oglio
Sud, SCI, SPA, 40 hectares of respect area, have been exploited since
the mid-19th century for the peat extraction. The presence of small
lake basins with irregular outlines derives from this activity, which
was one of the main activities characterizing the area between the
beginning of the 20th century and World War II. Most of the population
used to work in the quarries, organized in small family cooperatives or
employed by larger companies. In the early post-war period, the deposit
was almost worked out and in the last forty years the area has been
used to cultivate reeds, to practice hunting and fishing and, in its
marginal stretches, for poplar cultivations.
Origins of the Wetland
The
Reserve extends in an ancient meander of the river Oglio, in a basin
whose limit is represented by a steep slope connecting the valley with
the nearby elevated areas with altimetric differences reaching 4-5
meters. In the basin, naturally wet for the surface water layer
characterizing it, cane-brakes and other marshy formations have
developed. The soil asphyctic conditions have hindered the
decomposition of the vegetable deposits which have accumulated in 3 to 6
meter thick strata and which give the soils the characteristic color:
dark because of their richness in organic substance.
Vegetation
The Peat Bogs are mainly characterized by cane-brakes with close formations dominated by Common Reed (Phragmites communis), with occasional presence of Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia) and small stretches of sedge formations consisting of various sedge species, among them the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), localized above all along the edges.
Further info (Italian text)
