The project investigates the role of drinking troughs, fountains, agricultural ponds and other small artificial wetlands as surrogate habitats for aquatic biodiversity in human-modified landscapes.
Research by Leonardo Vignoli and collaborators shows that traditional drinking troughs can provide essential permanent water points for amphibians and aquatic invertebrates, especially where natural wetlands are disappearing or dry out during summer. At the Castelporziano Presidential Estate, some troughs supported richer Odonata communities than some natural ponds.