Sand, dunes that change disposition with the wind and amber colors of desert space: we are in Sicily, in the Oriented Nature Reserve that affects the terminal part of the Belice River and the surrounding dunes.

This is a landscape that is now rare in Sicily and covers 4 km of coastal area between Marinella di Selinunte and the promontory of Porto Palo: an area that covers 241 hectares, of which 129 hectares are the actual reserve separated from the remaining 112 hectares of pre-reserve by a disused railway line.
The innermost part, where the dunes are located, is rather arid while the river bank makes the area surrounding it more humid, with large temperature ranges between day and night, sometimes subject to marine flooding.

How to get there

.By plane
– from Trapani/ Birgi “Vincenzo Florio” airport
– from Palermo ” Falcone e Borsellino” airport

By car
– A/29 highway exit for Castelvetrano. Follow the SS 115 to Marinella di Selinunte, which is 1 km from the reserve, or to Menfi and take one of the consortium roads towards the sea.

By bus
– autoservizi AST www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it
– autoservizi Salemi www.autoservizisalemi.it
– autoservizi Lumia www.autoservizilumia.it

Managing body
Regional Province of Trapani
Via Vito Carrera 23
Tel. 0923 873678

FLORA & FAUNA

Flora
Resisting wind, salt spray and high temperatures is certainly no easy feat for most common vegetation. The flora at the mouth of the Belice River consists, first of all, of those herbaceous formations that contribute to the maintenance of the dunes themselves. Wherever there are dunes, in fact, there is also Sparto pungente, a perennial grass whose tall, dense formations are instrumental in keeping the sand from being dispersed by the wind.

Much is also owed to the Sea Lily andMaritime Euphorbia: by keeping the soil stable, they encourage the development of other species that need a more stable base to grow.
The peculiarities of the place make the environment of the mouth of the Belice River poorly suited to accommodate all forms of life. That is why only species that have learned to survive by exploiting every smallest resource in the reserve itself can be found there.

This is the case, for example, with Psammophytes, which have evolved in such a way as to accumulate as much water as possible while simultaneously limiting transpiration.
Whenever the wind submerges them in sand, they have the extraordinary ability to quickly emit new shoots that elongate until they reach the air. The expanse of sand is also enriched by the presence of Ravastrello, Calcatreppola and Carota spinosa.

In contrast, areas closer to the water harbor vegetation characteristic of wetter environments. Here marsh reed, a graminaceous plant adorned with a grayish-purple panicle inflorescence, Prickly Reed, Typhus, Water Mint, and Horsetail dominate: all species that hold up well in places prone to flooding. Even several times a year, it may indeed happen that sea water penetrates the Reserve.

Instead, in the rockier areas, close to the road and the disused railway line, typical Mediterranean scrub vegetation is encountered. Among all, evergreen shrub species such as the Dwarf palm, theEuphorbia and theOlive tree.

Fauna
Numerous bird species choose the Belice River Mouth Reserve for nesting or for a stopover during migration. The Kentish Plover, a small riparian bird, prefers to build its nests along the sandy shoreline, while the Moorhen and Woodcock prefer marshy areas.
During migratory periods, it will not be difficult to look up and catch a glimpse of Herons, Anatidae and various other migrating waders in the sky above the mouth of the Belice River.

With the disappearance of the sandy and dune landscape from many parts of Sicily, many invertebrates that used to find optimal conditions for their survival in these environments have also disappeared: for many insects living in the dunes and some endemic Sicilian species of beetles, the reserve at the mouth of the Belice River represents the last refuge and the last hope for life.

This is what happens, for example, to the Grasshopper, which used to be very common in Sicily and now lives only on some beaches where it finds bushes of Agripiro and Ammofila.
The reserve is also home to the Megacephalus brachyte, whose burrow can be recognized by the characteristic piles of sand it accumulates at the entrance.

But the great pride of the reserve is the splendid Caretta Caretta, the sea turtle that always returns to deposit its eggs here, where it was born. Its entire life, including mating, takes place in the sea, but when they need to reproduce, they push onto the sandy shoreline and dig holes to hide a conspicuous number of eggs there, which will then hatch after about two months.