Background A network of 13 Natura 2000 sites along the Venetian coast, in the northern Adriatic Sea, hosts a complete series of coastal vegetation types. These range from pioneer plant communities on the seashore to several types of dune habitats, humid depressions behind the dunes, permanent wet grasslands, and pine and oak forests. The beaches of these sites are a summer vacation destination of thousand of tourists from northeast Italy, Austria and Germany. The high concentration of tourists in the area leads to serious degradation of these coastal habitats. Other threats are land reclamation for agriculture, leading to habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity, and the spread of alien species. Objectives The beneficiary, the Regional Agricultural Board of the Veneto Region that manages the sites, aimed to mitigate the impact of human pressure on the biodiversity of this part of the Adriatic coast. The objective was to reinforce the ecological connection between the 13 sites and to manage them as a coherent network. The conservation of hygrophilous grasslands and wetlands behind the dune belt would be ensured through engineering work to allow proper management of the water levels. In addition, grasslands and fossil dunes habitats would be restored through the elimination of exotic plant species and removal of rubbish accumulated over the years. Elimination of exotic species would be carried out also in forest habitats, together with selective felling of pine plantations, to favour the spread of grassland habitats. An underpass was planned to prevent the fragmentation of the habitats of amphibians, reptiles and small mammals. Public meetings to raise awareness of stakeholders on conservation problems in the area were also planned. The project also aimed to create nature trails and rest areas that would direct tourists away from sensitive areas. Some of these would also be fenced off. Finally, a scientific monitoring programme would provide data to assess the effects on habitats and species of the actions carried out. Results The project greatly contributed to the knowledge and management of coastal habitat preservation, producing sound and updated intervention guidelines. It put into practice tools for minimising marine erosion and increased awareness among relevant authorities of this problem. In particular, the project had a positive impact on more than 200 ha of land and increased the size of the grey dune habitat. At the start of the project, however, there were minor organisational problems that reduced the amount of time available to implement some intended actions and also affected the regular implementation of some monitoring studies. Nevertheless, the project successfully carried out the re-naturalisation of retrodunal humid areas and stopped the loss of retrodunal water habitats. In addition, 150 hectares of pine forests were thinned in order to foster the biodiversity potential of the involved areas, and reproduction of typical coast arboreal/shrub species has been started in a specific nursing centre. Several attractive information and dissemination tools were produced and distributed. Various monitoring studies on habitat, animal and plant species were carried out to test the project's impacts, although further monitoring appears advisable. The beneficiary and its partners are continuing to work with other public authorities and private entrepreneurs to spread the key project's findings and intervention methods. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).