The Foce dell' Isonzo Regional Natural Reserve is a protected natural area in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) established in 1996. The reserve, covering an area of 2,338 hectares on land, with an additional 1,154 hectares in water, preserves the lagoon territory at the mouth of the Isonzo River in the province of Gorizia.
In 1937-38, construction began on a dam within the Isonzo delta system, creating a land connection to Isola della Cona. Additional water drainage systems were implemented to drain the area and make it cultivable.
The Isonzo River Mouth, like all the swampy wetlands in the lowlands of Friuli, was completely eliminated. Only in 1976 did considerations for restoration and protection projects begin within the framework of environmental conservation. In 1983, a regional law initiated a gradual restoration of the marshy areas, starting with the re-flooding of Isola della Cona.
The first protected area project dates back to 1983. In 1996, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region established the Isonzo River Mouth Natural Reserve through a regional law. In 2016, it was declared an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
