Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre

Infobox protected area

name = Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre
iucn_category = II
photo = Panorama agricole delle Cinque Terre.jpg
photo_alt =
photo_caption = Agriculture in the park
photo_width = 300px
map = Parco-Cinque Terre-Posizione.png
map_alt =
map_caption = Location of the park
map_width = 250px
location = Liguria
nearest_city = La Spezia
lat_d =
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lat_NS =
long_d =
long_m =
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long_EW =
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established = 1999
visitation_num =
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governing_body = Ministero dell'Ambiente
world_heritage_site = 1997
url = http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.cinque.terre/Eindex.html
The Cinque Terre National Park is a protected area inducted as a national park in 1999, located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It includes, in addition to the territory of the three towns of Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare), and parts of the communes of Levanto (Punta Mesco) and La Spezia (Campiglia Sunsets). The park can be divided into two parts: the National Park and the Marine Protected Area.

Description

The Cinque Terre National Park was established on October 6, 1999 in recognition of the territory's considerable scenic, agricultural, historical and cultural value. The Cinque Terre National Park and Protected Marine Area aim to protect cultural heritage. This is the first Italian Park created to safeguard a landscape that has been mostly built by man. To achieve its objectives, the Park Organization encourages the development of responsible tourism, able therefore to invest in the identity of the places and the territory's products, and thus save its immense heritage of terracing, now endangered. The Park protects a coastal area where man has created a stable life and mutual coexistence between self and nature. The villages are terraced with dry stone walls in a coastal environment typically Mediterranean where the mountains of 'Appennino Ligure come straight to the sea, creating a unique environment. The climate is typically Mediterranean with dry summers and mild winters.

Flora

Even the Mediterranean flora are obvious features, there are many microclimates often different from each other which created a huge variety of landscapes. There are pine, Aleppo pine, corks and Chestnut. Rock and coastal environments produce numerous Mediterranean species such as samphire and sea Cineraria. Flora is visible everywhere even as shrub Rosemary, Thyme, Helichrysum and Lavender. Also present are several species of trees and Succulents clearly visible from many trails.

Fauna

The environment is conducive to the development of life and habitat of several animal species. Among the birds are the Gull, the Peregrine Falcon and the Raven. Among the mammals are the Dormouse, weasel, mole, rate, marten, fox and wild boar (whose presence is resented for damage to crops). The reptiles that thrive in the rock are the wall lizard, the lizard and various snakes such as the rat snake, the grass snake of Aesculapius and the viper; around streams live amphibians like frogs and salamanders.

Natural Protected Marine Area of Cinque Terre

The coast along the Cinque Terre is characterized by high cliffs, caves, bays, tiny beaches and cleft rocks. Marine life in the stretch of the coast which extends from Punta Mesco at Monterosso to Capo Montenegro at Riomaggiore is rich and varied. The steep faces of the cliffs under water and the shallows and isolated rocks are populated by various kinds of gorgonia (sea fans), such as the colorful Leptogorgia sarmentosa and the white Eunicella verrucosa, a rare species in the Mediterranean, but fairly common along this part of the coast. The Posidonia oceanica, a plant that creates very important grass-like colonies, grows here and provides a safe habitat for the reproduction of many organisms. The steep rock faces of Punta Mesco and Capo Montenegro have the richest forms of marine life including rare species: the Eunicella verrucosa mentioned above, the rare Gerardia savaglia, or black coral. At a depth of only about 15/20 meters at Punta Mesco, unlike the rest of the Mediterranean, it is possible to discover the fans of the Paramuricea clavata or red gorgonia. Cinque Terre is also populated with dolphins. This part of the sea is included in the Cetacean Sanctuary, an international protected area where marine mammals can be found.

Administration

The Cinque Terre are composed of five villages: from West to East:
Monterosso al Mare (commune)
Vernazza (commune)
Corniglia (''frazione'' of Vernazza)
Manarola (''frazione'' of Riomaggiore)
Riomaggiore (commune) Other municipalities whose territory is part of the Cinque Terre National Park:
Levanto
La Spezia

See also

Protected Areas
Province of La Spezia
Ligurian Sea

References

Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre