What do we protect?
The Scopoli’s shearwater and the Yelkouan shearwater are two species of seabirds nesting on some islands of the Mediterranean, and among these the islands Tremiti, where they are locally called Diomedee. The dune and rear dune habitats of the Coastal Dunes Park and the native vegetation of the Gargano National Park.
Yelkouan shearwater
This species is exclusive to the Mediterranean and even during migratory movements it never crosses the Strait of Gibraltar. It nests on coastal cliffs and islands. About 100-150 couples have been registered in the islands of San Domino and San Nicola (Tremiti Islands). Period of presence on the islands: November - July. Nesting: March - end June.
Scopoli’s shearwater
This seabird is a migratory that reproduces almost exclusively on the reefs of the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Among the islands where it nests there are the Tremiti Islands where there are 300-400 pairs in the islands of San Domino and Caprara alone. Period of presence on the islands: February - November. Nesting: May - October.
Autochthonous Vegetation
Among the project actions we want to recover sites with stationary conditions potentially suitable for the settlement of native vegetation currently occupied by the ailanthus.
Dune habitat
It is a site that extends mainly into the sea. Its terrestrial part consists of a strip of sandy coasts with dune and rear dune environments, often in contact with tourist settlements, and extends inland in a limited area characterized by arid grasslands.
Invasive alien species
Invasive alien species are animals and plants transported by humans (voluntarily or accidentally) from their places of origin to new areas, where their introduction can cause serious consequences in ecosystems. Alien species are therefore not inherently dangerous, they become so when they are introduced by man outside the areas of origin.
Black Rat
In the Tremiti Islands, the presence of the black rat is a serious threat to the breeding populations of Procellariforms. The eradication of rats should make it possible in the medium-long time to settle the Mediterranean stormbird Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis as a nesting breeder, an endemic subspecies of the Mediterranean that breeds in a very limited number of sites unreachable by rats.
Blue Crab
In the freshwater environments of this SCI, an impending threat is represented by the possible spread of the invasive crab Callinectes sapidus, a species capable of producing drastic changes in the invaded ecosystems (ecosystem engineer) which was recently reported in the SCI.
African Senecio
The sites of presence currently known on the Gargano di Senecio inaequidens are limited to road margins. However, considering the evident strong invasive capacity of this species, there is a real risk that, in the absence of eradication actions, it could invade the surrounding arid grasslands in the near future.
Ailanthus
At the moment the populations of ailanthus affect areas mostly adjacent to residential contexts but many plants have recently invaded natural areas as well. The Island of San Domino appears extremely vulnerable as it is populated mainly with open and bright pine forests, where the ailanthus is able to settle. A recent fire has also made some hectares of pine forest particularly vulnerable to the arrival of the ailanthus.
