The most important natural environments of the Reserve are three: the coast, the Mediterranean scrub and the wetland.
The coast
The Kentish plover, a small wading bird, lays its eggs on the sand; the eggs are the color of sand, they are placed in a depression and camouflaged with shells and Posidonia leaves. There are many species that frequent this environment in all months of the year in search of food or to rest during the migration. Among all the most characteristic is the oystercatcher, with its long and colorful beak. Along the entire coastline of the Reserve, the sandy beaches alternate with short stretches of cliffs. Among the salt water pans frequented by crabs, sea fennel, glasswort and Apulian limonium face the sea. Behind the dune, numerous species of evergreen shrubs grow in close contact with each other and thicken to form the communities of Mediterranean scrub and garrigue. The species that have adapted to the environment in order to counteract the heat and drought of summer are: mastic, alaterno, prickly asparagus, shrubby thyme, rosemary, myrtle. Among the animals that frequent the scrub we mention the badger, a very rare and shy mammal, the luscengola and the green lizard. Behind the dune, where the aquifer emerges, the straw dominates unchallenged. Along with it a few other species, such as the bell, which uses the stems of the straw as stakes on which to climb to expose its large white flowers to the sky. Here the most frequent and conspicuous animals are birds. Some spend their entire lives in this habitat, such as the bittern, others, such as starlings and swallows, use it only at night to rest. Other marsh birds, such as the coot, the little grebe and the knight of Italy build large floating nests anchored to plants. Where the salinity of the water is less high, amphibians and reptiles also live, including the water tortoise.
