Dune di Camigliano

The site includes a stretch of coast within the municipality of Guardavalle, on the Calabrian Ionian side; it borders a residual strip of beach with well-preserved coastal dunes. Their development is due to some perennial and stoloniferous grasses (in particular Agropyron junceum): they are capable of retaining sand grains that are carried by the wind and of promoting their accumulation. This creates the first low and discontinuous sand ridges (primary dunes), against which another colonizing and stabilizing species, Ammophila arenaria, finds its optimum habitat. Ammophila arenaria has the ability to grow horizontally and vertically through many meters of sand. The consolidation of older dunes (gray dunes) is favored by the plant coverage by communities of mosses and lichens. In terms of fauna, the site represents a regular breeding area for the Kentish plover, a species particularly protected internationally which is included in the national Red List with a lower risk status.