Pantani della Sicilia sud orientale

In this area, well-preserved examples of halophilic marsh vegetation can be observed which are distributed along the edges of the marshes in more or less concentric bands, according to gradients of soil moisture and salinity. Some associations that are quite rare in Sicily are well represented here, featuring species of particular phytogeographic interest and sometimes endemics, such as Limonium pachynense. In some coastal areas, you can find remnants of formations that were once quite common and well-represented in the area. Due to its location, the complex of the Southeastern Sicilian Marshes plays a very important role in bird migrations. These areas show the highest bird presence in Sicily for Ardeids and Sandpipers; there is also abundant migration of Anatids, with numbers which are second only to those recorded in the Gulf of Gela. The site is crucial for bird conservation as an integral part of a wetland system that includes Vendicari, Morghella, and other smaller wetlands in southeastern Sicily, where faunal exchanges are very frequent. The ferruginous duck, an extremely localized species in Sicily and Italy, breeds irregularly in the area. The site has recently been spontaneously colonized by the western swamphen, a species that has been subject to a recent reintroduction. The herpetofauna is also rich and diversified, including many species worthy of the highest protection. The invertebrate fauna is very rich in Sicilian endemics; sometimes it is highly localized and often known only from the marsh areas. Additionally, it includes many rare species that are often found at the northern limit of their distribution range.