Climate Change and Fish Farming

Venetian “Fish Valleys” as a Design Device for Coastal Adaptation and Mitigation

Journal Article (2023)
Author(s)

L. Cipriani (TU Delft - Landscape Architecture)

Alessandro Destro (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI))

Research Group
Landscape Architecture
Copyright
© 2023 L. Cipriani, Alessandro Destro
More Info
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Publication Year
2023
Language
English
Copyright
© 2023 L. Cipriani, Alessandro Destro
Research Group
Landscape Architecture
Issue number
2
Volume number
2
Pages (from-to)
138-149
Reuse Rights

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Abstract

Beginning in the fourteenth century, along the northeastern Italian coastline, Venetians began to create a series of hydraulic structures called “fishing valleys,” which combined aquaculture production with lagoon and seawater management. According to the current scenarios provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the coastal areas, where many historic fish farms still stand, will inevitably be affected by the rise in sea level. To be preserved, coastlines will require some sort of water defense or possibly a managed retreat. Can we redesign traditional fish-farm systems as climate, economic and environmental adaptation devices? Through a series of design scenarios, this contribution explores how traditional fish farming can help redefine the territorial scale by addressing climate change and reviving existing production systems.