Data Zone
Country/territory: Italy
IBA criteria met: C2, C6 (2002)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,840 hectares (38.40 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A river and its surroundings on the Padana plain, bordering the town of Mantova. The site is rich in freshwater wetland habitat, large reedbeds and areas of open water (Valli del Mincio) close to the river, while agricultural land and broadleaved forests (Bosco Fontana) predominate in the surroundings. Agriculture is the main human activity.
Key biodiversity
An important site for breeding, migrating and wintering waterbirds. There is a large colony of tree-nesting herons (Garolda) and a colony of Chlidonias niger (Valli del Mincio). There used to be a large number of breeding Milvus migrans (min. 30 pairs), mostly at Bosco Fontana, until the 1980s. Counts for heronries refer to the 1990-1995 period.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: River Mincio and Bosco Fontana (Italy). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/river-mincio-and-bosco-fontana-iba-italy on 22/12/2024.