In Veneto, the attention paid to biodiversity is increasingly in the spotlight. In fact, many are the projects of the Region and Veneto Agriculture focused precisely on the issues that focus on the preservation and enhancement of plant varieties and animal species at risk of extinction, above all the " Bionet 2017-2022 " project.
Today, this important institutional path, which aims at saving the regional autochthonous agricultural biodiversity, is further strengthened thanks to the agreement just signed between the Province of Vicenza and Veneto Agriculture which provides for the improvement of the management of the Germplasm Bank of the Strampelli Institute of Lonigo.
In practice, with this agreement, the regional agency will secure the precious heritage consisting of the seeds of ancient cereals until now preserved in the "casket" of Lonigo. The seed multiplication activity will be carried out by the regional agency at its experimental farms "Pradon " in Porto Tolle (Ro) and "ValleVecchia" in Caorle (Ve). As can be easily understood, the fallout from this agreement - closely linked to the Bionet project - has great scientific , cultural and didactic value , given that all the varieties in question belong to the Veneto territory and agricultural world.
The Veneto Region, strong in an agricultural and food tradition rich in diversity, largely linked to the animal breeds and plant varieties that our farmers and breeders used in the past, understood well in advance the importance of this priceless agricultural heritage from preserve and enhance. Hence, as mentioned, the multi-year " Bionet " project, which sees Veneto Agriculture at the forefront with the regional network for biodiversity of agricultural and food interest (including the Agricultural Institute, breeders and custodian farmers, etc.), whose objective is precisely that of aiming at the conservation of local genetic resources at risk of extinction or genetic erosion.
In this context, the activity in progress at the " Sasse Rami " pilot and demonstration company in Ceregnano (Ro) should also be mentioned, where Veneto Agriculture preserves numerous species of poultry in purity (hens, geese, ducks and turkeys). "Sasse Rami" represents a sort of Noah's Ark also for fruit growing ; in fact, here there is a precious collection of dozens of fruit cultivars, in particular apple and pear, for which genetic characterization has been carried out. At the " Diana " company in Mogliano Veneto (Tv), on the other hand, the entire collection of the ancient Venetian viticultural cultivars is preserved, the result of a painstaking work of identification, collection and conservation. At the pilot and demonstration farm Villiago di Sedico (Bl) Veneto Agricoltura, on the other hand, helped to rescue the sheep breeds at risk of extinction Alpagota, Lamon, Brogna and Foza.
Finally, with other projects, also of a European nature, the regional agency is carrying out important enhancement actions in favor of forest biodiversity , bees and the areas in which these fundamental insects live.
