Article

Malpensa - bad idea

A walk in the natural heart of the Ticino Valley: Birds chirp, rainwater is dropping from the leaves, the sound of the river passes through the woods. Every three minutes, the idyllic soundscape is disrupted by a violent noise from above. With roaring turbines, a descending airplane passes over the forest and lands some kilometers further behind the trees. An airport in a biosphere reserve?

"I prefer disturbing 100 herons to disturbing 100.000 people", says the director of Malpensa airport, the biggest aerial hub in rapidly developing Northern Italy. The airport already existed on a smaller scale when the Ticino Park was established, and is situated in the park's transition area. During the last decades, he was transformed into an airport of international significance. Further extensions are planned with a project for a third runway being prepared by the airport developers.

Zoom

But there are much more negative effects for the region than only noise. Airplanes emit hazardous substances, alien species from countries all over the world are introduced into the park's core areas, nocturnal migratory birds are attracted by the lights to an environment where they find it hard to survive. With the extension of the airport, more streets and railways will be needed, further disrupting the ecological corridor.

Franco Mari and his colleagues have conducted a number of research products predicting impacts on lichens, wildlife and human health. Maurizio Maggioni, former president of the park, warns of "irreparable" destructions of the large bird migration corridor. Even the UNESCO wrote a letter to the airport management, asking to re-think development plans.

Zoom

Will it help? "In the end", predicts a park employee, "we will sit together with the developers, have to accept the third runway and the park receives a small compensation" - money that can be used for reforestation projects. But it takes decades for a forest to mature - and who knows which further developments will jeopardize its existence?

17.10.2005 19:17h

06.08.2006 The Flagship (Wolong)

06.06.2006 A New Lung and Kidney (Can Gio Mangrove)

04.06.2006 The Fishermen of Boeng Ch'hmaar (Tonle Sap)

15.04.2006 The Field Laboratory (Sakaerat)

16.10.2005 A powerful park (Valle del Ticino)

06.10.2005 (Most) beautiful villages (Luberon)

Article

Malpensa - bad idea

More Articles