Fondali circostanti l’Isola di Palmarola

The site is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea – northwest of the Lazio coast – around the island of Palmarola which is one of the Pontine Islands. The SPA has been established to protect marine biodiversity and community interest habitats of significant ecological importance, including sandy seabeds, Posidonia oceanica meadows, rocky cliffs and marine caves. Furthermore, a unique biogenic structure known as the “trottoir” Lithophyllum byssoides has been observed along a little area of the coastline. This is a distinctive formation composed of calcareous plates encrusted with marine organisms: they create a unique habitat for numerous invertebrate and fish species.
The SCA also hosts an association of Cymodocea nodosa, a marine seagrass species forming dense underwater meadows. In this area, Several species of fish, mollusks, crustaceans and cetaceans – are found and protected by the Habitat Directive, including the loggerhead sea turtle, bottlenose dolphin, Pinna nobilis, mantis shrimp and the hatpin urchin. The presence of these species is a crucial indicator of the overall health of this ecosystem.