Description

The reserve was established in 1996 with Regional law 42; the protected area covers an area of ​​2,350 hectares, along 15 km of the river. The reserve falls within the municipalities of Staranzano, San Canzian d'Isonzo, Grado and Fiumicello. The reserve protects the last 15 km of the river Isonzo with an area of ​​2,350 hectares, and while the upper part includes the riverbed and limited floodplains with riverbeds and riparian forests, in the last 5 km, the protected area expands to include the Isola della Cona, between the Sdobba branch and the Quarantia branch, closed off from the waters of the Isonzo with a dam built in 1938. In this area, there are many kinds of habitats: riparian forest, reed beds, wet meadows grazed by horses and cattle, the tidal flats intersected by canals called “ghebi”, mudflats and tidal flats and freshwater marshes reflooded as part of a project to rewild the environment. At the mouth, not far from the the lighthouse on Punta Sdobba, there are sandy-gravelly islets and a wide bar at ​​the mouth where most of the sediment carried by the river settles. Fishing is practised in areas subject to tides surrounding the mouth both on the Staranzano and on the Grado side. The Cona is the central and most visited part of the Reserve and its “restoration” provides a refuge for the largest number of birds which can be observed in all seasons of the year. Much of the grassland habitats in the reserve is looked after using Camargue horses and Sardinian cattle in the summer to graze the grass. These can be seen even from the river during visits. The heart of the reserve is the Isola della Cona, which offers a visitors’ centre with guest house and various itineraries leading to hides for spotting and photographing birds, the largest of which, the Marinetta, provides a view over much of the habitats. Didactic environmental activities are organised for schools and there are guided visits and excursions on horseback. In the nearby zone of the Alberoni, there are some cycle tracks while on the Grado side of the river, near Caneo, there is the end of the cycle track that comes from the Valle Cavanata together with a hotel and restaurant. Also at Caneo, beyond the village of Sdobba, there is an observation tower.