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PAID CONTENT FOR THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL AND GRE EN PIONE ER OF SMART TOURI SM


Explore Grosseto’s marshlands and untouched coastline Local guide Loriana Canton shares why Grosseto’s Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve is a key landscape for both visitors and locals.


WHY IS DIACCIA BOTRONA SUCH A SIGNIFICANT WETLAND IN ITALY? Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve covers 3,145 acres and is hugely important because of its rich biodiversity. It’s a crucial spot for migratory birds and serves as an environmental buffer in the Maremma region of Italy — helping to keep the surrounding ecosystem in balance. As a result, Diaccia Botrona has been recognised as a Wetland of International Importance since 1971, thanks to the Ramsar Convention [an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and


smart use of wetlands and their resources]. The reserve is also a Site of Community Importance, protected under the Natura 2000 Habitats Directive [an EU initiative aiming to protect over a thousand species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates and plants].


WHAT KIND OF WILDLIFE CAN YOU FIND IN DIACCIA BOTRONA? This reserve is a haven for wildlife, with over 200 species calling it home. One of the standout successes here has been the reintroduction of the osprey after 42 years of absence in Italy. By 2014 [eight years after the bird’s reintroduction in 2006], we had stable nesting pairs again. Winter brings an influx of bird species, including over 2,500 flamingos, which have become something of a symbol for the reserve.


From below: Flamingos wading in the shallows of the Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve; Casa Ximenes stands the western end of the reserve


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