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Vivere la campagna

Nature and environment

Nature and environment
mar 2008 -

 

The Province of the Middle Campidano features three different geographical areas defining three corresponding natural habitats, which have in turn been responsible for three types of human settlement. In the middle lies the fertile plain of the Campidano with its productive agricultural fields; in the east rise the gentle hills of the Marmilla, dotted with small rural centres; in the west dominates the mountainous relief of Linas, a mining basin of national relevance reaching the sea with vast and sandy barren lands. Along the almost 1500 km2 of the Middle Campidano are the main naturalistic attractions of Sardinia, which are further enhanced by two unique habitats: the dunes of Piscinas and Sa Jara of Gesturi.

SA JARA
In Sardinian language Sa Jara refers to a plateau rising for a few hundred meters between the hills of the Marmilla. Its morphology is the result of an endless erosive process of the surrounding landscape, consisting of sandstones, marls and limestones.
The erosive processes have not affected the surface of the plateau, which is therefore distinctly separated from the surrounding countryside.
Three Giare are present: Siddi, Gesturi and Serri, although the most renowned one referred to as Sa Jara is the Giara of Gesturi, which differs from the others for the presence of the wild little horses is quaddeddus. Sa Jara rises in the shape of a trapeze for 4,400 hectares, reaching a height between 500 and 600 meters. It is covered by a forest of cork oaks mixed with holm and downy oaks and interspersed with several ephemeral lakes (pauli).
These are covered in spring with a mat of white buttercup that creates remarkable sceneries.
On the edge of the plateau, in a strategic position, are the remains of several nuraghi, amongst which is the protonuraghe Bruncu Madugui, one of the oldest in Sardinia.

The snow-capped Gennargentu provides a backdrop to one of the several pauli that, in winter and spring, pop up on the Giara of Gesturi.Below, Sa Jara with its steep ravines rests isolated
from the surrounding world.
These environmental conditions have allowed the survival of groups of wild horses of small size, characterised by a thick mane, almond-shaped eyes and a dark bay or black coat of unknown origin and that represent a unique object of preservation by the public institutions.
The number of pure wild little horses is currently estimated at 700.

THE COAST.
The coast of the Middle Campidano spreads over about 50 km and is located between the granitic promontory of Cape Pecora and the plateau of Cape Frasca. It is one of the most pristine areas in Sardinia and achieves, in its southernmost part, an almost barren appearance due to the unusual extension of its beaches. The coastal barrier of Scivu-S’AcquaDurci- Piscinas extends for over 9 km and penetrates up to 3 km inland, with dunes of 30/40 m in height covered in prickly juniper and Mediterranean bush. Here, it is not unlikely to come across the Sardinian Deer. Further north the Costa Verde begins, an alternation of rocky stretches and tiny coves up to the Tower of Flumentorgiu, overlooking the other wide beach of Is Arenas, which also extends inland for about one kilometre.The sea, thanks to the prevailing north-westerly winds, is especially suited to surfing activities.

The formation of the sand dunes is attributable to the result of glacial action which occurred mostly over the last hundred of thousand of years. The significant lowering of the sea level down to several tens of meters has caused the emergence of vast stretches of sandy coastline that the fierce winds (mostly libeccio and mistral) have carried and accumulated inland. (Text by Walter Pagano)

The swamp of Marceddì (above), on the border with the Province of Oristano, is a most important wet area not only for naturalists but also for the renowned production of its fish farms.

The prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (S. et S.) Ball.) (above) is a typical species of the Sardinian dune systems. Its root and branch structures significantly contribute to fight off the dunes’ erosion.

Characteristic round granite pebbles cover vast stretches of the bays near Cape Pecora, delimiting in the south the long sandy beaches. (Text by Walter Pagano)

THE MOUNTAINS.
Between the coast and the plain of the Campidano rises the mountainous group of Linas, the highest in Sardinia.The uppermost regions are covered in scrubland and bushes, in which rare endemisms are found such as Elicrisum montelinasum, interspersed with valleys with woods of holm and English oaks and yews; whereas in the south the countryside becomes harsher and the granitic rocks of the Oridda and Punta Camedda, where mighty waterfalls and thick woods are located, make the route more challenging. Many are the tracks winding along those laid by woodsmen and miners.
The starting points of the mountainous and naturalistic routes are at Perd’e Pibara (Gonnosfanadiga) and Cantina Ferrari (Villacidro). Several other tracks wind their way from Montevecchio to Ingurtosu (Guspini and Arbus) and make it possible to visit the major mining sites: wells, tunnels, washes, waste dumps, depots, abandoned buildings are cast within a weird landscape and silence.
Consisting of a colony of 600/700 heads, the Sardinian Deer also can be spotted in the vicinity of the mining sites.The mountains with their woods and a lush Mediterranean bush provide home especially to: wild boars, foxes, martens and, up in the sky, the peregrine falcon, the buzzard and the royal eagle.

In Sardinia the yew (Taxus baccata L.) (top) is a fairly rare species that lives perched in fresh and shady areas of some of the mountains of the Island, amongst which Mount Linas. It was also known as the death tree because of the toxicity of an alcaloid, the taxin, found in its leaves, bark, branches and seeds. Only the flesh of the brightly coloured fruit, called arillus, lacks such compound.

A superb specimen of male of Sardinian deer (Cervus elaphus L. subsp. corsicanus Erxleben) (below), one of the typical species of the Sardinian fauna.The number of branches of the male antlers provides an indication of the age of the animal. In its diet is also the sarsaparilla (Smilax aspera L.) (left), a liana-like plant typical of the shrub and of the yew forests. (Texts by Walter Pagano)

The discoglossus (Discoglossus sp.) is one of the amphibians that can be found in this area.
Despite its deceitful pudgy and bumpy aspect, it is not a toad. In fact, from a systematic point of view there is the same difference between the two as there can be between a dog and a seal!

It is not uncommon to spot tortoises (Testudo sp.) between leaves and grass.These are friendly and sluggish reptiles characteristic of the countryside fauna.
Apart from their renowned longevity (easily reaching 60-70 years) it is noteworthy to know how their famous armoured ‘abode’ is made.The carapace (the upper part) and the plastron (the lower part) consist of about 60 bony plates coated externally by the shields, wide corneal blades that vary in number, shape and colour according to species.

The species of birds of prey hovering in the blue skies of this Province are quite numerous. It is not uncommon to spot a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus Tunst. ssp. brookei Sharpe) standing still from high up while aiming at its prey. (Text by Walter Pagano)

Not uncommonly Nature offers some curiosities that usually go undetected by the casual observer: the hypocistus (Cytinus hypocistis L..) (above), for example, is a particular parasitic plant of the cistus of Montpellier (Cistus monspeliensis L.).

The orchids are one of the naturalistic attractions that this area offers to visitors and enthusiasts alike.The genus Ophrys L. (in the image on the left Ophrys tenthredinifera Willd.) is one of the 16 species censused across the Island.
Over long periods of natural selection, some parts of the flower have acquired a strong resemblance with pollinating insects, often at the species-specific level.

The violet limodore (Lymodorum abortivum (L.) Swartz) (left) is one of the many orchids that can be found in these areas. Its purple colour and the absence of chlorophyll point to its parasitic nature.

The Sardinian endemism Bellium crassifolium Moris (left) is one of the many of its kind that characterise the most peculiar flora of the Island. Oftentimes these unusual plants make of unreachable and seemingly inhospitable sites their ideal habitat. (Texts by Walter Pagano)

The Marmilla is a hilly agricultural area. The hills of the Marmilla are grown ‘dry’: cereal, pulses, saffron and spontaneous officinal herbs have particular organoleptic properties, as does the oil of the olive tree plantations dating to several centuries ago.Top: The Castle of Las Plassas.

At the Territorial Naturalistic Museum of the Consortium Sa Corona Arrubia in Villanovaforru the visitor can appreciate many of the archaeological beauties of Sardinia. In the image some display cases of the Island’s flora are reproduced. (Texts by Walter Pagano)