Background The Mesola Forest is a coastal plain forest that has grown on fossil dunes since the 15th century. It comprises of mainly a holm oak wood (Quercus ilex) (the largest in northern Italy) on the dune chains while in the hollows between the dunes, there is a mesophilic forest of common oak, ash, hornbeam and oriental hornbeam. The site is of exceptional importance for the conservation of plain and coastal forest habitats; it is the only sizeable forest formation in the area. The considerable habitat diversity ensures a wide variety of animal and plant species, including the only native population of deer on the Italian peninsula. Major threats are the variation in the ground-water level and consequent salinisation of the soil (aggravated by subsidence in the area) and the large population of fallow deer which, apart from competing with the native deer population, inhibits the natural renovation of the forest. Objectives The project's main objective was to safeguard the habitats of Community Interest found at the site (two of which are priority) by implementing and monitoring the effects of a water distribution scheme that manages water levels while avoiding salinisation of the soil. This project forms part of a conservation programme for the Po Delta area that is being carried out by LIPU, a bird and conservation NGO that has implemented a previous LIFE project in the area. The project planned to: Set up network to measure the water table; Introduce instruments to analyse water quality parameters; Design a model to simulate the behaviour of the water table; Improve the circulation of the water in the ecosystem; and Manage water circulation on the basis of objective parameters.Ground-water levels and water quality would be periodically monitored and ditches maintained to keep the system operating properly. Actions were also planned to safeguard fauna, such as the creation of small wetlands for amphibians and temporary enclosures for the capture and management of fallow deer. The project also intended to produce information and publicity materials. Results The project tried to reach a better management of the ground- and surface-water and a limitation of the pressure of the fallow deer population through the following actions: Implementation of a network of points to measure the level of ground-water and surface water (41 points were created in total) to collect data for the creation of a hydrological model to evaluate the impact of the dry periods on the water budget of the area; Improvement of about 8000 m of the hydrological network through the restoration of old closed channels, the re-modelling of the section of the secondary channels for a better water-flow, the reactivation of the barrier system for a better distribution of the water in specific area of the reserve; Subdivision of 955 ha of the natural reserve into four areas with the aim to reduce, over the coming years, the number of the fallow deer by shooting. The decrease of the fallow deer number will favour the expansion of the holm oak wood through its natural regeneration by seeds and sprouts; Creation of three new ponds and restoration of eight existing ones to protect and increase the population of European pond terrapin (Emys orbicularis) and several other Amphibians species including common spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus), Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex), European tree frog (Hyla arborea) and the agile frog (Rana dalmatina). Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).