Santa Maria di Castellabate is involved in the list ‘The most beautiful villages in Italy’ and is divided into areas with different regime of environmental protection, taking into account the environmental characteristics and the socio-economic situation.
The Castellabate area, especially in the coastal area of Licosa and Ogliastro Marina, is characterized by the presence of the ‘Flysch del Cilento’, a rare type of rock composed of several layers (typically formed by cyclic alternating layers of sandstone, clay or marl, limestone) with special colours. Its origin is very ancient, dating back even to prehistoric times, as they were formed by the erosion of the mountains over thousands of years. Numerous cavities and crevices have been formed that are used as a shelter by many species of marine fauna and flora as oceanic Posidonia, Alcyonarians, grouper, bream, moray eels and lobsters.
The territory is rich in flora and fauna with a number of plant and animal species unique in the world and therefore subject to special forms of protection.
In the seabed are the coral and extensive meadows of Posidonia, which protect and feed on many species of fish and shellfish, some of which are very rare like the parrot fish Mediterranean and Syriella Castellabatensis. In 2006 in the Arena Bay of Ogliastro Marina many Loggerhead sea turtle eggs were seen. Only in the island of Licosa lives the extremely rare endemic lizard ‘Podarcis sicula klemmeri’, which has a beautiful green and blue skin.
In Castellabate, the primary flora is the shrub maquis with carob trees, myrtles, junipers, strawberry trees, Aleppo pines and rare endemic species, such as the Cilento broom (Genista cilentina) or Primula palinuri, especially in the coastal area. In the territories that do not border the sea are symbol trees of Cilento: the olive and the fig. Also is the sea lily (Pancratium the Maritimum), a wild flower that grows wild on sandy beaches (especially in the hamlet Lake), being listed as rare and vulnerable species.
Observatory
Comune di Castellabate, Brochure turistica
Genius loci, progetto di promozione e valorizzazione del territorio I percorsi di "Genius Loci" Campanili. Paesaggio - ambiente, architettura per conoscere e valorizzare il territorio
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