Milano. In 54 meadows of the city there is tall grass to promote biodiversity, combat heat islands and protect the soil from drought.

A Milano in 54 public areas distributed in all municipalities from the center to the outskirts, for a total of 1,3 million square meters out of approximately 19 million of square meters of urban greenery managed directly by the Municipality, the grass in the lawns will be kept taller and mowing will be reduced. It is the result of a choice that the Municipality of Milano is taking forward, like other administrations of many cities around the world, to promote environmental sustainability and biodiversity.

The practice of the so-called 'reduced mowing' brings various benefits to the urban ecosystem. In fact, by reducing grass cutting, the species that make up the lawn are able to complete their vegetative cycle until flowering and seed production. Letting the grass grow therefore means offering a richer habitat for bees and pollinating insects, birds and small mammals thus contributing to the biological diversity of urban areas. Additionally, taller grass retains moisture, preserves the soil during dry periods and mitigates the effect of heat islands.

The areas that will be kept with taller grass have been identified using various criteria depending on their location: starting from the center, where a reduced mowing area will be around the monumental plane tree of the Montanelli Public Gardens, to the benefit of both the tree and the biodiversity of the context; to the areas in extensive parks where there is more space, chosen from among those that will have the least impact on the uses or enjoyment for games, relaxation or sports by users, or even the areas along major roads viability, in order to create ecological connections, in synergy with other interventions to increase naturalness, carried out by the administration.

Soon, near the reduced-mown meadows, they will be approximately 150 information campaign signs were placed, aimed at explaining to citizens, (also through a link that takes you to a page where the project is illustrated in detail), the goal of this practice: improve soil quality and air quality and mitigate the effects of climate change, respect nature's cycle and reduce our ecological footprint.