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In the province of Agrigento, between the municipalities of Ribera and Cattolica Eraclea, along the western side of Capo Bianco, there is the “Natural Reserve of the Mouth of the Platani River”, one of the most important rivers in Sicily that flows into a wide beach.

The Reserve is managed by the State Forestry Company and was established in July 1984 by the Sicilian Region; the latter aimed at the conservation of the bird population and the reconstitution of the Mediterranean scrub, the halophilous plant associations and the natural dune environments. The area includes some 494 acres of Mediterranean scrub.

The reserve area can be regarded as one of the residual parts of the landscape that used to be typical in the whole of southern Sicily. The local environment hosts remarkable biodiversity, including the coastal dunes that stretch towards the hinterland, the Mediterranean scrub belt, and the river delta system rich in the marsh and riparian vegetation.
The dunes are colonized by rich and variegated vegetation: creeping grasses, as well as shrubs and small trees, whose roots consolidate the dune system itself.

Among the plants, there are sea lilies (Pancratium maritimum) which is at risk of extinction, European searocket (Cackile maritima), yellow horned poppies (Glaucium flavum), rush (Juncus spp.), and salt cedars (Tamarix spp.).

Next to the dunes, there is also a reforested area with Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis), acacias (Acacia spp.), and a thick Mediterranean scrub dominated by mastic trees (Pistacia lentiscus), myrtle (Myrthus communis), and dwarf palms (Chamaerops humilis).

Photo source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsanE3gF67w

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)