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Po Basin mixed forests is an ecoregion and biome composed of trees and other vegetation characteristically found in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests surrounding the Po River in Northern Italy and Southern Ticino in Switzerland, and its watershed from the Cisalpine, or Italian side, of the Alps.
Contents
Terrestrial plants
The Po Basin mixed forests consists of remnants of:
1. Mixed deciduous oak/hornbeam forest -
2. Riparian forest, as well as flood-plain vegetation of the Po Basin -
Aquatic plants
The freshwater ecosystems (zona umida) have a high level of biodiversity.
Threatened (in Italy) plant species include
Fauna
Lesser-disturbed wetlands which are important breeding areas for many bird species are most significant biodiversity of the ecoregion. Examples are grey heron, purple heron, great egret, little egret, squacco heron, cattle egret, great bittern, little bittern, pygmy cormorant and ferruginous duck.
Conservation
The region is industrialised and has a long history of human pressure (shrinkage of wetlands, invasive species, and unsustainable hunting of waterfowl).