Isola di Lampedusa

The complete isolation of Lampedusa took place after the last glaciation, as confirmed by the discovery of North African vertebrate fossils, so that it can be assumed that, 18,000 years ago, animals could walk across from the African continent to the island. This evident North African imprint gives the fauna of Lampedusa a high biogeographical importance. As the naturalist  P. Calcara describes, in 1847, wild boars, cats, goats and deer lived there. The Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) gathered on the beaches at night and cranes regularly stopped on the island. At present, Mammals living here include: the wild rabbit, the domestic mouse, the black rat and the Etruscan shrew. Caves and natural cavities are home to bats, among which the common bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersi) and the greater hornet (Myiotis myotis) are particularly important. The only amphibian present is the African green toad (Bufo boulengeri). Particularly important are the Reptiles, all originally from North Africa: the most common are the gecko and the eyed skink (Chalcides ocellatus), while the common striped lizard (Psammodromus algirus) is present only on the Conigli islet, the only place in Italy where this lizard lives. In the protected area find shelter also the hooded snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus), present in Italy only on Lampedusa, and the Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus insignitus), one of the largest European snakes. Field observation of the Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni), fairly common in the last century, is now difficult.

Avifauna is also of great interest because it includes sedentary bird species that are very important from the conservation point of view. The Conigli Island is the territory of the yellow-legged gull, a population of about one hundred pairs lives and nests in this area. Kestrels nest on the crests of the valleys, while the cliffs overlooking the sea are ideal nesting sites for other bird species, such as Eleonora’s falcon, that every spring migrates from Madagascar to reproduce; the peregrine falcon, the European shag and the Mediterranean and Scopoli’s shearwaters. Due to its position as a bridge between Sicily and North Africa, Lampedusa is an important stopover site for many migratory birds crossing the Sicilian channel route. In spring the collared dove, the flycatcher, the sandpiper, the pipit, the garden and the melodious warblers, and many other migratory birds stop regularly in the protected area. The bright colors of the  European bee-eater and roller stand out against the sky; moorhens choose quiet coves, flocks of night herons fly across the sky, while the harrier, the red-footed falcon, the osprey, the buzzard and the hobby search for their prey flying over the Reserve’s vast plains. Some herons and pink flamingoes can be often seen while resting for a couple of days after flying a long distance.

The beach on the Conigli island is the nesting site of the Caretta caretta sea turtle, an endangered species that is under protection worldwide, because of the increasing urbanization of the coasts. In Italy, nesting usually takes place only along the Ionian shores of Calabria, Sicily and on the Pelagie islands, but there are more and more Italian regions that in recent years have hosted Caretta caretta nests (Sardinia, Basilicata, Campania, Tuscany, Puglia, Lazio and Abruzzo). The Conigli Beach is one of the Italian loggerhead sea turtle nesting sites that has been studied and monitored for the longest period. In the last 27 years sea turtles have been nesting here from 1 to 7 times a year.

On summer nights, between June and August, the sea turtle reaches the Conigli Beach and, after digging a hole, it lays about 100 eggs which are then covered up with sand. The incubation period is from 60 to 70 days; upon hatching, which generally occurs at night, the hatchlings emerge from the sand and immediately head towards the sea.

The breeding success of Caretta caretta is threatened by various natural and anthropogenic factors: predation by rats, gulls and stray dogs; crowded beaches and people bathing, coastal erosion and sea-storms. Even the erosion of beaches can produce negative effects on the nesting sites as they alter the granulometric peculiarities of the sand.

To ensure the maintenance of suitable environmental conditions, the managing body has implemented protection measures to avoid or reduce threat factors, minimize environmental impact, guarantee maximum quiet conditions at night: a protection service has been set up in order to give the beach back to Caretta caretta from sunset to sunrise. The Reserve staff  monitors the nesting  area, installs fences around the nests and supervises them during the entire incubation period. The Conigli Beach is constantly guarded in summer, with the support of several volunteers participating in the work camps organized by Legambiente. Moreover, an information and awareness point is active during the day at the entrance of the zone A of the Reserve, in order to obtain a respectful use compatible with the naturalistic importance of the places.

The seabed and coastal habitats of the Pelagie Islands are among the most beautiful and interesting in the Mediterranean Sea because they are characterized by a high variety of structures and the abundance and diversity of the species present. The biogeographical importance of Lampedusa’s marine environment derives once again from its location in the Mediterranean Sea. This position has determined a mix of different faunas and the entry of some tropical species, such as the triggerfish and the Mediterranean parrotfish (Euscarus cretensis), typical of tropical coral reefs, and very common on the African coasts but hardly seen on the Italian ones.

The stretch of water in front of the Conigli Beach, included in zone A of the “Pelagie Islands” Marine Protected Area, is characterized by sandy and rocky sea-beds, comprising various habitats and species of community interest or endangered. Along the seashore there are the so called “trottoir”, typical platforms formed by Dendropoma petraeum shells cemented together by red calcareous algae. Meadows of Posidonia oceanica  occupy the coastal area, that has an important ecological function and hosts a large number of plants and animals. The Astroides calycularis thrives just below the sea surface with several orange-red individuals tightly bonded to form a spectacular continuous strip. In addition, biocoenosis and very interesting species can be viewed, such as: the Cystoseira algal formations, the meadows of Cymodocea nodosa, the madreporaria Balanophillia europea and Clacodora caespitosa, the rare bivalve Pinna nobilis, the Caulerpa racemosa, an alga original from the Red Sea, and the Percnon gibbesi, a bright orange-red crab. One may have exciting encounters with the colorful fish present in the protected area, where 40 different species are easily observed, including sea breams, moray eels, amberjacks, as well as the brown grouper along the coastal strip of the Conigli island.

Traces of humankind on the island date back to prehistory, as supported by the remains of a Neolithic village and megalithic buildings. Also Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman and Arab settlements are documented. Due to its geographical position, in ancient times the island had an important role as connecting point on trading and military routes, especially during the Punic wars and the Arab conquest of Sicily. Maybe it was uninhabited for long periods of time, for sure between the 1500s and 1700s. In 1436 Alfonso of Aragon gave the Pelagie islands to the Baron De Caro of Palma di Montechiaro and in the late 1600s the Tomasi family, heirs of the De Caro, obtained the title of princes of Lampedusa. However, they never visited that far away island, instead they tried to gain some profit by giving it to a family of Maltese farmers. In 1839 the Bourbon Ferdinand II bought the island as he was interested in extending his domain and acquiring an important outpost in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1843, he sent the frigate captain Bernardo Sanvisente to Lampedusa to set up an agricultural colony. The captain arrived on the island with 120 settlers which made severe transformations on the land: they destroyed the natural vegetation in order to plant crops, and started a charcoal burning activity that contributed to the destruction of the original maquis shrub-land that covered the island. Immediately after the unification of Italy, the Pelagie Islands became a penal colony, and in 1878 the Municipality was established.

The island hinterland shows the peculiarities of the ancient agricultural landscape: dry stone walls, made as field boundaries, and some “dammusi”, rural buildings made of stone according to the traditional typology, of which Case Teresa, near the Forbice Valley, are the most representative example. A walk through the village to the old port is a must. Strolling along Cala Palme, where the sea-life takes place and where the typical factories for processing and preserving fish are. Among the sites of greatest archaeological interest, that can be viewed only from outside, are: the fish salting factory in the Castello region, dating back to the Roman period; the storehouses from the prehistoric age at Capo Grecale and an underground necropolis in the center of town. Recently the Archaeological Museum of the Pelagie and the exhibition “Towards the Museum of Trust and Communication for the Mediterranean” have been inaugurated. The museum is a place where the past blends with the more recent history: on display are various archaeological finds and images of the natural beauties of the island, together with many belongings of the victims of the shipwreck of 3 October 2013 (photographs, letters, documents, personal effects), on exhibition are also several works of art from other well-known museums ( Uffizi, Bardo of Tunis, etc. …).