Site of Community Importance of the Oulx Pond

It is only 83 hectares, nestled against the slopes of Cotolivier, but this site known as Lago Borello represents one of the few remaining wetland areas in the entire western Alpine arc.

The lake is of anthropogenic origin, created during the excavations for the Frejus railway in 1871, later used as an icehouse and as a tourist site in the early 1900s due to thermal waters.

Its naturalistic importance is due to the presence of numerous botanical species linked to wet environments (orchids such as Epipactis palustris and Dactylorhiza incarnata cruenta and one of the rare sites of Iris sibirica in Piedmont), but especially to its fauna: from the common toad, to the grass snake, to the rare river crayfish (Astropotamobius pallipes).

As many as 18 species of dragonflies have been documented, including Sympetrum vulgatum, for which this site represents the only known station in Piedmont, and a very rare beetle for Italy, Philochthus mannerheimii.

Birds also use these waters as a stopover during migrations, so species typical of reed beds such as the reed warbler and the great reed warbler have been observed.

The site of community interest is managed by the Province of Turin.

Infos

Free access.

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list map

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