Terna – Rete Elettrica Nazionale SpA : Torre Salsa regional reserve WWF and Terna for protecting a true biodiversity treasure chest

TORRE SALSA REGIONAL RESERVE

WWF AND TERNA FOR PROTECTING a TRUE BIODIVERSITY TREASURE CHEST

AS OF TODAY OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY AND RESEARCHERS: THE OBSERVATION DECK ON a SHEER CLIFF OVERLOOKING THE SEA AND DIRECTLY ALONG THE MIGRATION ROUTES, THE GREEN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM FOR SCHOOLS AND STRUCTURES THAT WILL PROTECT THE WWF OASIS FROM FIRES, POACHING, LITTERING AND CARELESS TOURISM a WWF-Terna project part of the collaboration for reducing the impact of the National Electricity Grid and improving the enjoyment of Italian nature the Nature Reserve WWF Oasis of Torre Salsa strengthened and improved its structures for protecting biodiversity, for didactic activities and scientific research, becoming an actual avant-garde site in which 26,000 visitors, including 2,000 students from schools that each year visit the Reserve, can immerse themselves in the extraordinary biodiversity, participate in the many activities offered by the Oasis and experience the white beaches surmounted by splendid cliffs. As part of the collaboration aiming at mitigating the impact of the National Electricity Grid on the environment and improving the use of the WWF Oasis, the WWF and Terna presented today to the community and the public authorities the new structures that will render the Torre Salsa Oasis even more protected and enjoyable: an impressive and fully equipped observation decks overlooking the sea, from where, under the shade of the pergolas, hundreds of little Egrets, herons, Eurasian spoonbills, European Honey Buzzards and cranes can be watched that in the autumn and in the spring travel one of the most important migration routes of the peninsula, but also peregrine falcons that nest on the impressive rock reefs along the coast; green outdoor classrooms, protected by a wooden and cotton canopy structure that is completely removable to allow didactic activities also during the very warm Sicilian summers; path with benches, book-rests and informative bulletin boards for allowing everyone to discover and enjoy the incredible variety of life in the Oasis; in addition to strengthening the physical andtechnological infrastructures – fences, gates and within a few weeks even a closed circuit system of cameras that will help protect the area from fires, poaching, littering or trespassing out of the marked path, all of which represent the principal threat factors for this delicate eco-system. the Torre Salsa Reserve is not only an area extraordinarily rich in biodiversity. its five different habitats offer safe refuge to rare species such as plovers, bluethroats, red-rumped swallows and Eurasian stone curlews and the reserve’s beaches are used by tortoises for laying their eggs. it is also a naturalistic point of reference for thousands of visitors, researchers, students and tourists that each year visit or return to the Reserve. the measures implemented together with Terna also have a significant cultural value and are capable of increasing the awareness of the value and beauty of nature, along with the need to protect it. the Riserva Naturale Orientata di Torre Salsa, in addition to having an extraordinary naturalistic importance, is crossed along the coastal zone toward the mountain, by an HV electricity line owned by Terna. Building the structures was possible thanks to the integrated work of a team of architects, ornithologists, engineers and agronomists that worked together for identifying the most efficient solutions that would respect the area’s environmental characteristics. the presentation was held today at 10:00 am at the “Silvia Pellegrino” Hall of the Province of Agrigento (Via Acrone, 25), and was attended by Sebastiano Di Betta, Councilor for the Territory and the Environment at Sicily’s Regional Authorities, Eugenio d’Orsi, President of the Provincial Authorities of Agrigento, Maria Giuseppa Bruno, Mayor of Siculiana, Raniero Maggini, Vice-President of WWF Italia, Gaetano Benedetto, Director of the WWF Italia’s environmental policies. the new structures were presented by Antonio Canu, president of the WWF Oasis, Alessandro Salemi, director of the Riserva Naturale Regionale Orientata Torre Salsa, together with Fulvio Rossi, head of Terna’s Corporate Social Responsibility Department. After the presentation, all those who attended visited the WWF Oasis to discover the wonders of the place and the new structures for the first time. IDENTIKIT OF THE OASIS About the Oasis: a treasure chest of biodiversity tucked between long beaches, 80 meter rocky cliffs and humid areas, also along one of the principal migration routes. a Riserva Naturale Orientata managed by the WWF Italia on the basis of an agreement with Sicily’s Regional Authorities that is mostly part of a Site of Community Importance (SCI) included in the Natura 2000 European network. Location: along the Sicilian coasts, between Siculiana and Eraclea Minoa, a few kilometers from Agrigento. Environment: a mosaic of different environments with over 761 hectares of protected nature that includes low and sandy coasts, cliffs and rocky headlands alternated with natural terraces and drops overlooking crystal clear waters. Animals: with its variety of natural habitats, the Oasis hosts many species, even rare ones such as the plover, the bluethroats, red-rumped swallows and Eurasian stone curlews. the humid zone hosts tens of bird species and the quagmire is used by birds for resting, spending the winter and nesting. the peregrine falcon is among the birds of prey that nest in the area, finding safe refuge in the cliffs. Other birds populating the humid zone include the buzzard, the kestrel, the owl and the barn owl. During the autumn and winter migrations, the sky becomes filled with birds such as herons, the Eurasian spoonbill, cranes and European Honey Buzzards. Mammals include the porcupine, the wild rabbit, the weasel, the hedgehog and the fox. the reptiles living in the Oasis are the Sicilian pond tortoise while its beaches are often chosen by the marine tortoise (Caretta caretta) as a nesting place. Plants: the European searocket, or “sea cabbage” grows along its dunes as well as the saltworts. Shrubs of Phoenician juniper and spontaneous orchids grow in the clearings. People: each year, over 25,000-26,000 people visit the Oasis attracted by the wealth of biodiversity and by the activities it offers. each summer many volunteers and vacationers are involved in monitoring day and night the nests of the Caretta caretta tortoises. THE WWF – TERNA AGREEMENT the collaboration between Terna, a strategic company for the country and a leading grid operator for energy transmission headed by Flavio Cattaneo, and the WWF, the largest world organization for Nature conservation, was created in January 2009 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, the first in Italy of its kind. This collaboration is aimed at promoting sustainability for developing the National Transmission Grid (NTG), minimizing the impact on biodiversity by placing the new electricity infrastructures fully respecting the environment. the agreement is implemented through a series of initiatives aimed at increasing the monitoring and the integration level of environmental criteria into the integrated planning process for the measures implemented on the NTG. the agreement also includes that for certain grid segments projects are implemented that harmonize as much as possible the NTG’s development process with the Eco-regional Conservation Strategy (ECS) promoted by the WWF for reducing biodiversity loss and for developing conservation projects capable of protecting all the different natural communities present in the Mediterranean Eco-region, particularly in the Parco Nazionale del Pollino and in the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga. in addition to the Riserva Naturale Orientata Oasi WWF Torre Salsa, in Sicily the agreement also included measures to be implemented in the ANPIL (Area Naturale Protetta di Interesse Locale- Protected Nature Areas of Local Importance) Oasi WWF Stagni di Focognano and in the Riserva Naturale Provinciale Oasi WWF Padule di Orti-Bottagone. Press contacts WWF Italia: Francesca Mapelli, 06 84497213, 349 0514472, f.mapelli@wwf.it Terna: Salvo Butera ( salvobutera@libero.it – 339 3220822), Antonella Filippi (antonellafilippi18@gmail.com – 339 4242177)

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