Area Marina Protetta di Torre Guaceto

Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area protects an area with some of the highest species richness in the Mediterranean. The habitats encompassed by the MPA include seagrass meadows, sandy beaches and deep-sea Mediterranean coral formations. The rocky intertidal areas consist of algae, seaweed and sea urchins. The deeper water muddy areas are home to an abundance of mollusks, brittle stars, sea stars, sea cucumbers and polychaetes. Mediterranean coral formations are unique structures that contain IUCN red listed species such as yellow and white gorgonians. The seagrass meadows are populated by species endemic to the Mediterranean, and provide habitats for a variety of fish, crustaceans, sponges and mollusks. The European and common spiny lobster are commercially popular lobsters that also reside within the Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area.

Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area was established by the Italian Ministry of Environment in 1991. In 2000, the Ministry established a management consortium to more effectively manage the protected area and enforce fishing regulations. Part of the protected area contains the Torre Guaceto Ramsar Site, designated by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1981. Torre Guaceto is also a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protected Area of the Mediterranean Importance, designated by the Barcelona Convention.

Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area Official Website

Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area on MPAtlas.org