A new ISLAND is born: Secret islet appears off the coast of Venice - and it already has a flourishing ecosystem
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The Venice lagoon's warm waters and sandy beaches have drawn tourists from around the world for hundreds of years. Now, locals and visitors alike have one more spot to set up their deck chairs as a new island forms near the historic city. Previously, the secret islet of Bacan would only form in the summer months before being swept away by winter's storm surges.
![[Some experts say the island's more permanent status is due to the MOSE flood barrier (pictured) which separates Venice from the Adriatic. This barrier may accelerate the current to bring in more sand while open and protect the island from winter surges when closed]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/10/93186967-14196777-image-a-1_1734343886180.jpg)
But thanks to a new flood barrier this cherished refuge for tourist-shy residents has become a permanent fixture of the lagoon with its own flourishing ecosystem. Measuring 250 metres long and 10 metres wide, the sandbank is covered with a layer of thick vegetation.
![[Venice has faced worsening floods in recent years, culminating in the disastrous 2019 floods (pictured). The MOSE barrier is an essential line of defence against rising sea levels]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/10/93186279-14196777-image-a-5_1734343886181.jpg)
Bacan is now home to a range of marsh plants like samphire, rushes, native flowers, and small, salt-resistant cedars called tamarisk. With new roots holding the soil in place, the island has not vanished since 2020 when the flood barrier's operators were away on holiday during a winter surge.
![[Bacan (pictured) has now been colonised by plants including flowers, rushes, samphire, and salt-resistant cedars called tamarisk.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/10/93186201-14196777-image-a-3_1734343886180.jpg)
However, even as residents celebrate the birth of a new beach, some experts warn that this could be a troubling sign for Venice's fragile ecosystem. Venice is now home to a new island which was once the cherished secret of locals looking to escape the summer crowds.
![[However, the island's formation could be a sign that flood defences are preventing storm surges carrying silt to the nearby salt marshes. This could lead to the collapse of this vital ecosystem which stores 30 times more CO2 than a forest of the same size]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/10/93188769-14196777-However_the_island_s_formation_could_be_a_sign_that_flood_defenc-a-20_1734344939080.jpg)
In Venice's shallow, brackish lagoon, small sandy islands can form from even slight disturbances to the swirl of the currents. It takes so little for the tides to form a new island that residents of the area have a saying: 'Palo fa palugo' meaning 'a pole makes an island'.
