Riserva naturale orientata dello Zingaro
The Zingaro nature reserve ( Italian: Riserva Naturale orientata dello Zingaro) is a regional nature reserve in the province of Trapani in northwestern Sicily .
When the construction of a car road along one of the most scenic coastal stretches from Castellammare del Golfo to San Vito lo Capo was planned at the end of the 1970s , there were considerable protests. The government then relented and established Zingaro, the first nature reserve in Sicily , on May 6, 1981 . The reserve covers 1,600 ha and an approx. 7 km long coastal strip with small sandy bays and rough limestone rocks .
The highest point is the Monte Speziale with 914 m. The karst area is criss-crossed by rugged limestone cliffs and gullies washed away by the water. The Mediterranean flora is characterized by olive and carob trees as well as dwarf palms (Chaemerops humile) and offers a habitat for around 40 different bird species. Falcons , vultures and eagles find ideal living conditions here.
On August 5, 2012, a huge wildfire destroyed 80 percent of the reserve. The reserve was like a lunar landscape after the days of fires. It will take years for the vegetation to recover.
Attractions
- Uzzo grotto, a vertically open magma bubble of approx. 20 meters clear height (a few hundred meters inland from Tonnara del Uzzo), which has been used as a shelter and stable for goatherds since ancient times.
Endemic species
Forty plant species there are endemic to limestone areas of Sicily, including:
- the sea lavender , Limonium todaroanum and Limonium flagellare ,
- Helichrysum rupestre var. Rupestre and Helichrysum pendulum ,
- Dianthus rupicola ,
- Centaurea ucriae ,
- Brassica bivoniana ,
- Seseli bocconi
- Brassica drepanensis
- Hieracium cophanense
- Minuartia verna subspecies grandiflora
- Convolvulus cneorum .
Web links
- Official website (Italian, English)
- Portal of Italian Natural Parks and Reserves (Italian, English, French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Giacomo Di Girolamo: Primi visitatori in un panorama lunare lo Zingaro in cenere prova a risorgere . In: La Repubblica , August 19, 2012, accessed October 7, 2013
Coordinates: 38 ° 6 ′ 15 " N , 12 ° 47 ′ 27" E