Massaciuccoli lake and marsh

Lame di Fuori Natural Reserve – Massaciuccoli Ramsar Site
Wintering ducks – Massaciuccoli Ramsar Site
Massaciuccoli lake and marshland – Massaciuccoli Ramsar Site
Flooded forest – Massaciuccoli Ramsar Site

Massaciuccoli lake and marsh

  • Country: 
    Italy
  • Site number: 
    2311
  • Area: 
    11,135 ha
  • Designation date: 
    22-06-2017
  • Coordinates: 
    43°45'N 10°18'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Site is a large ecologically diverse wetland on the coast of northern Tuscany. It is a flat, mixed forest ecosystem, with soils formed by both sedimentation and erosion increased by wind and the hydrological interactions of the Arno and Serchio rivers and the sea. The Site includes the lower stretches of the two rivers, the wetlands of the old Arno delta, the lake of Massaciuccoli, and peatland floating on root mat islands. Wetlands of this size are extremely rare in coastal plains of the Mediterranean area. The Site hosts a great variability of communities and a wealth of species, including endemic subspecies such as Artemisia caerulescens cretacea, which is found only in central Italy, and Centaurea aplolepa subciliata, which is unique to the Tyrrhenian coast. The Site is an important migratory and wintering area for hundreds of bird species. It also contributes to carbon retention and is important for sediment retention, fresh water supply, and also recreation and nature-based tourism.

Administrative region: 
Tuscany Region

  • Global international designation: 
    • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
  • National legal designation: 
    • National decree for designating Ramsar site (DM 21.10.2013) - Lago e Padule di Massaciuccoli
    • Protected Area - Parco regionale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • Other international designation
    • EU Natura 2000
  • Last publication date: 
    12-09-2017

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents