Riserva naturale integrale Saline di Trapani e Paceco

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Riserva naturale integrale Saline di Trapani e Paceco is a nature reserve in the Province of Trapani between the municipalities Marsala, Trapani, and Paceco at the west coast of Sicily. It was founded in 1995 and in the framework of the Ramsar Convention entrusted to WWF Italy. It has an areal of 987 ha and consists of two zones (Zona A and Zona B). Besides a remarkable Mediterranean Flora and Fauna there is a saline work museum in an old salt mill.

[edit] Flora and Fauna

This nature reserve is the habitat of many endemic plant species. The halophyte flora which is adaptable to the salt marshes and the soils with high salt concentrations is represented by some of the rarest plants of Sicily, like the Sea Marigold (Calendula maritima), Limoniastrum monopetalum, Malta-Fungus (Cynomorium coccineum), or Limonium densiflorum.

Rare animals are the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), the Common Painted frog (Discoglussus pictus) as well as the insect species Bucherillo littoralis, Stenoniscus carinatus, Pterolepis elymica, Cicindela circumdata imperialis, Cicindela littorea goudati, Teia dubia, and Aphanius fasciatus.

The salt-works are an important stopover for many European migratory birds before they are flying across the Strait of Sicily to Africa. At all here were counted 170 bird species.