Monti Peloritani, Dorsale Curcuraci, Antennamare e area marina dello stretto di Messina

The area of the site is of considerable importance for the economy of bird migration in the Mediterranean basin. The Strait of Messina is one of the three main areas, both with the Strait of Gibraltar and the Bosporus, where migratory flows concentrate, especially in spring, with 20,000-35,000 migratory birds of pray. The Peloritani Mountains offer nesting possibilities for significant species such as the golden eagle, lanner falcon, and the rock partridge. The lakes of Faro and Ganzirri also provide refuge and trophic opportunities for migrating waterbirds and they are significant as nesting sites for some species. Moreover, this area hosts a particular malacofauna in lakes environment. Phytogeographically, the area is important due to the presence of rare or endemic species and some unique plant associations. The seabeds feature a variety of ecosystems: Posidonia oceanica meadows, gorgonian forests, aggregations of black coral at intermediate depths and coralligenous formations on deep rocky seabeds. Despite anthropogenic disturbances, the area shows floristic and vegetational aspects of significant interest. The Strait of Messina is a unique environment in the Mediterranean. It has strong currents and turbulence due to the convergence of two basins, the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian which create distinct and unique biocenoses, such as Posidonia oceanica meadows and several associations of photophilic algae and coralligenous formations.