The estuary of the Bevano river, located in the municipality of Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy), includes one of the rare stretches of coast in the region that are still not urbanized and devoid of intense tourist development (Fig. 1.8). It is the only river mouth in the region free to evolve following the natural dynamics of coastal sedimentary systems. The area represents a naturalistic oasis characterized by transitional ecotones between fresh, brackish,
and marine waters and between wooded, dune, and beach systems. Its terrestrial and aquatic habitats play an important ecological role as breeding and nursery areas. For these reasons, the entire area, which is an Italian state-owned area, was totally dedicated to nature
conservation (100%) and designated as NATURA 2000 site (code IT4070009, named “Ortazzo, Ortazzino, Foce del Torrente Bevano”, type C SPA+SCI+SAC; Fig. 1.9).
