Regional Natural Park

Gallipoli Natural Park

“Isola S.Andrea – Litorale di Punta Pizzo”

Salento is an interesting territory from the naturalistic point of view because of its enormous richness in the variety of flora and fauna, due to the differences between micro-climatic areas (4 out of the 5 present in Puglia) and to the geological history as well as to the geographical position that places it in contact with both the African continent and the Balkans, where many botanical species come from.

About 1300 plant classifications of the 5600 in Italy are present in Salento (think only of the 10 species of oaks) with a strong presence of endemic species, that is, with localized or rare diffusion.

This makes Salento the most important natural environment at the national level, with 4 species exclusive to the territory. From the faunal point of view, it is always the geographical position, central to the two continents, that gives Salento a fundamental importance, bringing together here the migratory routes of species that winter in Africa and reproduce in the Balkans and northern Europe.

In Salento the avifauna crossing the Mediterranean finds a rest area to rest and feed, but only 80 species breed here.
The area protected by the Park extends over the Bay of Gallipoli, from Punta Pizzo to the mouth of the Samari channel. It extends inland including the pine forest and the wetland called Li Foggi. It also includes the island of S. Andrea, facing west the old town of Gallipoli. The island of S.Andrea consists of flat limestone rock from the rugged coast. It includes a lagoon due to erosion and some brackish depressions. There are several formations that testify to karst, including two outcrops of the water table. It is important the presence of a submerged prairie of marine phanerogams and the great variety of birds, thanks also to the limitation of visits placed to protect the place.

Despite the strong sun exposure, the action of the winds and the sea and the large population of rabbits that draws sustenance from the vegetation, there are over 200 species of plants, especially dwarf or with prostrate and halophilous trend, that is, adapted to rather high salinity levels.
The most important example is the Limonium Japigicum, exclusive of Salento and endemic on the coast between Gallipoli and Porto Cesareo.
There are also salty steppes in the brackish depressions, now very rare on our coasts. In addition to the birds that use the island for stationing and reproducing, the population of invertebrates, insects is very thick and, as for the reptiles there is a variable population of lizard and white-tailed snake.

The most important presence on the island is constituted by a nesting colony of the very rare Corsican Gull, inserted in the red list of the species that risk the extinction. The other areas of the park are Punta Pizzo, Baia Verde and Li Foggi with the river Samari.

In Punta Pizzo, an area of considerable landscape value, there are important formations of garrigue where the rare Erica manipuliflora blooms. Behind the garrigue can be observed sub-teppic areas behind the dunes at Plantago albicans.

The vegetation of Baia Verde is more damaged and has a residual vegetation of juniper on the dunes with a retrodunale scrub characterized by mastic, myrtle and other evergreen species. There is a system of dunes arranged in several cords: the mobile dune, in the immediate vicinity of the shore, the newly consolidated dune and the fossil dune. The marsh Li Foggi is a wetland and depressed, once much more extensive, characterized mainly by reeds.

Inside live species of great conservation interest such as the Orchis palustris and the Ipomoea sagittata and as regards the fauna the turtle Emys orbicularis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cementification of the Samari canal has caused the disappearance of some important species including the very rare water chestnut (Trapa natans).

To have a direct contact with the natural park of Gallipoli and live the colors and beauty more closely, you can contact the naturalistic associations that promote the territory among which we point out, for example:
Trekking Group Alezio
Infoline: 3888605894 (only active in the afternoon)