The Project CRAINat
The project "Conservation and recovery of Austropotamobius pallipes in Italian Natura 2000 sites", whose acronym is CRAINat, was funded under the EU LIFE + 2008 program. CRAINat provides for the implementation of specific actions for the protection and conservation on the species Austropotamobius pallipes (also known with its common name of white clawed crayfish), species in a high conservation priority, included in Annexes II and V of Directive 92/43/EEC "Habitat".
The project includes over 60 actions and will be carried out in the same time in two geographical areas, northern Italy (Lombardy Region) and central Italy (Abruzzo Region, Provinces of Chieti and Isernia and National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga), within more than 40 SCI.
The initiative is the natural continuation of previous projects also supported by EU's LIFE program; its mean objective is the preservation / increasing of native crayfish populations through actions that will be realized in nature and actions of ex situ conservation.
In fact, in addition to reconnaissance of the watercourses in the SCI of Lombardy, Abruzzo and Molise territories, activities will be carried out on genetic characterization, monitoring actions and containment of non-native species, maintenance actions, habitat restoration, as well as specific actions to spread young individuals in suitable surface water bodies in the involved SCIs.
For the above mentioned activity of introduction/reintroduction, structures for captive reproduction will be built and adapted in Lombardy, Abruzzo and Molise territories , in which reproductors will be placed for coupling and produce the juveniles to be released in suitable watercourses.
These actions of protection and conservation will be accompanied by the experimental realization of source areas, sinuous channels parallel to watercourses, which can slow down the water flow, to allow the reproduction of individuals housed and at the same to spread the connected water bodies.
