Plemmirio

Schéma ISEA :

Download the ISEA schema

Territory :

From Capo Castelluccio to Punta Tavernare, the sea bottom is low and uniform for several hundred metres, then it suddenly drops to much deeper levels. From Punta Tavernara to Capo Murro di Porco, the seabed already presents depths of 30-40 m immediately below the coastline. The Maddalena Peninsula is located in an area where the waters respond to and produce very particular dynamics.

Physical characteristic :

With a maximum height above sea level of 54 m, the resulting small plateau slopes towards the sea both to the east and west, sloping gently in some places through a series of marine terraces dating from the Plio-Pleistocene Age while in others more brusquely through a series of marine escarpments from the same period caused by eustatic action or erosion by the sea. The coastline is formed by cliffs, that rise high in the west and are subject to forms of local erosion (tidal notches, enclaves and rockslides), and low to the east, where calcarenitic rockslides are frequent due to removal at the base of the underlying clay and clay sands.

Specificity and importance :

The sea bottom around the Maddalena Peninsula is rich in benthic fauna. Where the seabed suddenly drops away, there are a number of submerged caves teeming with benthic and nektonic life, such as solitary corals, sponges, bryozoan, slipper lobsters, nudibranchs and numerous species of fish. The sea bottoms featuring meadows of Posidonia oceanica often harbor large examples of Pinna nobilis. Higher up and nearer the coast, there is a strong presence of colonial corals such as Astroides calcularis with its intense red color, reminding us that the Ionian Sea also has distinct tropical characteristics. Along the spray zone, it is quite common to come across in highly interesting structures (trottoirs). Mediterranean fish fauna is also abundant, such as Sparidae, Labridae, Serranidae, Belonidae and so on.

Threats and Pressures :

The area belongs to the farming/rural tradition. All the same, the presence of nearby Siracusa has always fostered a high degree of culture-based tourism. So the activities are mainly traditional craftwork, fishing and tourism.

Ecological characteristics :

The intertidal zone features well-structured belts that follow the stretch of coast between Punto Faro and Punta Milocca. The coves and caves present in the stretch of coast between Punta Tavernara and Capo Murro di Porco contain the littoral sciaphilic association Phymatolithetum lenormandii. Such associations are considered high priority habitats. Moreover, the Maddalena Peninsula is the classic site, the place of first description, for the photophilic sub-association and association mentioned above. The mid-tide zone is characterized by association with Cystoseira amentacea present in the mid-tide fringe that stretches along the whole perimeter of the peninsula followed, at depths of 3 to 5 metres, by association with Cystoseira crinita, where the leading species is represented by Cystoseira brachycarpa.

Management :

Consorzio costituito tra la Provincia Regionale di Siracusa e il Comune di Siracusa; Responsabile dell'Area Marina Protetta. Vincenzo Incontro. direzione@plemmirio.it ; consorzioplemmirio@legalletter.it

In 2017, the management body implemented a management program that officialized the management activities already taken in the protected area, noticeably :

a) The safeguard and optimal use of the natural, chemical and physical characteristics as well as the marine and coastal biodiversity, with particular regard to the protection of the Posidonia meadows and coralligenous biocoenosis, including by means of environmental renewal operations;

b) The promotion of environmental education and the spread of knowledge of the marine and coastal environments of the marine protected area, including by means of educational programmes;

c) The realization of programmes for the study, monitoring and scientific research in fields of natural science and environmental stewardship, to ensure the systematic knowledge of the area;

d) The promotion of sustainable development in the area, with particular regard to raising the profile of traditional skills and activities, local cultures, ecological tourism and the use of the area by socially challenged groups.

Geographical position :

Region of Sicily, Province of Siracusa. The Plemmirio MPA is off the Maddalena Peninsula, a few kilometres south of the city of Siracusa; it stretches from Punta dela Mola to Punta Milocca. The Maddalena Peninsula was produced by intense tectonic activity that pushed up a block lying along a NW-SE axis.