IN A FEW WORDS .
REFERENT
Bike & Flowers is a three-year project, running from 2024 to 2027, which aims to promote ecological regeneration along an existing 19 km cycle path located in the Po river area. It was created in response to the global pollinator crisis, whose decline is threatening biodiversity and food security.
The project involves interventions on 3.5 hectares to increase biodiversity, improve habitats for pollinators, and promote sustainability by involving local communities and farmers.
Conceived and coordinated by the ZOOM Foundation - in partnership with the Agrion Foundation, the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS) and the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA) of the University of Turin - the project has received funding from the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation as part of the second edition of the call for proposals 'Symbiosis: Together with Nature for the Future of the Planet', which aims to support projects designed to protect and enhance natural heritage and biodiversity, as well as to raise public and individual awareness of the role that environmental degradation plays in human health.
FROM FLOWER TO FLOWER,
BIODIVERSITY TAKES FLIGHT.
APOIDEA
Bees, which vary in shape, size, and color, have yellow and black striped abdomens and hairs covering almost their entire bodies, which they use to transport pollen. There are solitary, gregarious, and social species, which mainly nest in the ground or in natural and artificial cavities.
They play a crucial role in pollination, ensuring the reproduction of over 80% of plants and proving to be the most efficient insects in this task. Honey bees, in particular, are excellent bioindicators of environmental quality, exploring territories up to 10 km from the hive.
They adapt to a variety of environments, but their connection to the plants from which they collect nectar and pollen makes them vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and loss. Based on the plant species they visit, they are divided into monolectic (a single species), oligolectic (a few species), and polylectic (several species).
HOVERFLIES.
Many species of hoverflies are skilled mimics of bees, bumblebees, and venomous wasps, a strategy that protects them from predators. They are known for their ability to fly motionless in midair, similar to helicopters, hence their name “hoverfly.”
These insects play a crucial role in pollination, visiting over 70% of wild flower species. Their larvae contribute significantly to the balance of ecosystems and pest control, feeding on aphids, bulbs, or decaying plant material.
Thanks to their ability to adapt and specialize in a wide variety of environments, hoverflies are considered excellent bioindicators of environmental quality.
LEPIDOPTERA
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Location: Cumiana, Piscina, Airasca, Cercenasco, Scalenghe, Vigone, Villafranca Piemonte, and Moretta: 8 municipalities in the rural area of Pinerolo and Cuneo, now crossed by or near the “Via delle Risorgive” bike path
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Project: Bike & Flowers is a three-year project, from 2024 to 2027, that aims at ecological regeneration along an existing 19-km bicycle path located in the Po River areas and was created in response to the global crisis of pollinators, whose decline is endangering biodiversity and food security. The project includes interventions on 3.5 hectares to increase biodiversity, improve habitats for pollinators and promote sustainability by involving local communities and farmers. Ideated and coordinated by Fondazione ZOOM - in partnership with Agrion Foundation, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS) and Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA) of the University of Turin - the project received a grant from the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo under the second edition of the call for proposals "Symbiosis: Together with Nature for the Future of the Planet," which aims to support projects that protect and enhance natural heritage and biodiversity as well as increase public and individual awareness of the role that environmental degradation has on people's health.
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Objective: Bike & Flowers aims to increase the connection between pollinator populations, regenerate natural habitats, and capture more carbon in the soil. It also aims to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
IN A FEW WORDS .
What is a permanent meadow?
According to Regulation (EU) 1307/2013, permanent grassland is land where grass and other herbaceous forage plants, either wild or sown, grow and remain so for at least five consecutive years, without being converted to other crops.
Its most important characteristic is continuity: no plowing and no crop rotation, i.e., no change in the species cultivated over time. This allows the vegetation to develop naturally and form, year after year, a stable and highly biodiverse community.
In the Piedmontese Po Valley, an area dominated by intensive farming and artificial areas, permanent grasslands are now one of the few remaining semi-natural habitats. For this reason, they continue to support numerous ecosystem services, i.e., those natural processes that provide essential benefits to humans, such as pollination, which is indispensable for many plants, including agricultural ones.
Why are they important?
Permanent grasslands provide abundant and diverse nutrition for insects. Thanks to the variety of herbaceous species, often rich in legumes and nectar-producing plants, flowering continues throughout most of the growing season.
This continuity is essential for wild pollinating insects, such as apoids, lepidoptera, and syrphids, which need stable sources of nectar and pollen to complete their life cycle.
Unlike fields that are cultivated every year or areas that are mowed frequently, permanent grasslands maintain a diverse plant structure, ensuring resources even at the most critical times of the year, such as summer or fall, when they become scarcer.
Apoidea
For apoids, permanent grasslands are not only a source of food, but also an ideal place to build nests. The varied vegetation, with denser and more open areas, creates microhabitats and ecological niches where these insects can find suitable nesting sites. Small accumulations of plants and areas of bare ground offer additional opportunities for nest building.
Hoverflies
Syrphids find permanent grasslands a favorable environment both for feeding as adults and for reproducing. Their larvae also feed on small insects that damage plants, thus contributing to natural pest control in grasslands and the balance of the ecosystem.
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera benefit from the abundance of flowers, but also from the presence of specific plants for feeding their larvae, which are often absent in cultivated fields or cities.
The key role in the survival of pollinating insects.
La stabilità dei prati permanenti nel tempo, insieme a una gestione meno intensiva rispetto a quella dei campi coltivati, crea condizioni ideali per la sopravvivenza e la diversità degli insetti impollinatori. L’assenza di arature profonde e l’uso limitato di fertilizzanti e pesticidi riducono la mortalità diretta e mantengono la complessità del suolo, fondamentale per molte specie che vivono nei primi strati del terreno.
Nella Pianura Padana piemontese, dove gli habitat naturali sono frammentati e il paesaggio molto semplificato, questi prati assumono un ruolo ancora più importante. Anche se spesso piccoli, rappresentano veri e propri “punti di biodiversità”, collegando tra loro le poche aree naturali rimaste e garantendo continuità ecologica.
Grazie a questo, i prati permanenti aiutano a stabilizzare gli ecosistemi agricoli e periurbani, sostenendo le popolazioni di insetti impollinatori che, a loro volta, sono essenziali per la riproduzione di molte piante spontanee e coltivate.
PARTNERS.
MAGGIOR SOSTENITORE.
