Planning of flood defence management and rehabilitation of the natural habitat in the downstream part of the river Tiber

The aim of this project is to single out sections along the final tract of the river Tiber, from the Castel Giubileo breakwater to the estuary, including main feeders, in need of flood defence management interventions and environmental redevelopment. After running through the city of Rome, the Tiber flows downstream through a territory where urban needs coexist with cultural heritage and a particularly riparian ecosystem. For this project it was therefore decided to use bioengineering techniques in order to bring about the minimum impact on both the environment and the landscape. These can be used to minimise streambank erosion, to prevent flood events and for streambed shaping. Furthermore, they are a valid tool for the restoration of the ecological integrity of the riparian ecosystems and wetlands. The next step was to pinpoint critical zones in need of a new embankment system for the security of Rome’s suburban districts nearby. The final product was the development of a cartographic support of the study area, elaborated with GIS software “Arc Gis 9.1”, listing all the planned works by area as well as the most suitable techniques in accordance with the entity of the problem and the constraints of that zone. In addition, we drew up a technical data sheet for each kind of intervention, pinpointing all the locations along the Tiber where each intervention is planned. The shapefiles and technical data sheets are useful instruments for the requalification of what remains one of the most beautiful and vulnerable sections of the river Tiber.