Airports and nature have a contradictory relationship: they can harm each other, yet restricted human access and natural adaptation create safe ecological niches. Airports symbolize modernity and control, while biodiversity represents spontaneity and resilience, two seemingly opposed dimensions, yet balance is possible: airports can be part of ecosystems, integrating safety with ecological value. By rethinking infrastructure as ecological thresholds, technology and biodiversity can coexist, making airports symbols of connection not only between places but also between people and nature. Venice’s Marco Polo Airport, situated within the Natura 2000 network, embodies this paradox, turning the surrounding biodiversity into a strength.

• Land consumption, noise, light and air pollution, deterrence and control: the threat posed to ecosystems by the airport environment
• Nature as a risk to airport security: between bird strikes, climate change and the unpredictability of lifecycles
• The paradox of airport biodiversity oases: adaptive plasticity allows nature to colonize and thrive in areas of restricted access around runways
• From risk to opportunity: Marco Polo has invested in enhancing the paradox by demonstrating that nature and airports can coexist
• A glimpse into the future: becoming an airport natural park, by implementing nature-based solutions where both nature and airport environment thrive