Riserva naturale Metaponto, State nature reserve in province of Matera, Italy.

Riserva naturale Metaponto is a 240-hectare state nature reserve on the Ionian coast of Basilicata, between the mouths of the Bradano and Basento rivers. Its forest cover is largely artificial, planted with Aleppo pine, maritime pine, cypress, red eucalyptus and sea buckthorn on poor, saline soils over Holocene coastal dunes. Two wetlands near the river mouths lie on silty-clay alluvial deposits dated 1959 and 1972.

The forest area originated from reforestation initiatives that began in 1934 through the Reclamation Consortium and continued until 1954 under the State Forestry Corps. These restoration efforts transformed the landscape and established the ecological foundation the reserve maintains today.

The reserve lies in the Metaponto area, known in antiquity for the Greek city of Metapontion and its extra-urban sanctuary of Apollo Lykeios, whose remains are a short distance from the protected zone. The reserve itself is a modern reforestation site, so the archaeological traces belong to the surrounding Metaponto landscape rather than to the reserve's interior.

The reserve lies along the Ionian coast between the mouths of the Bradano and Basento, in the Metaponto area of the province of Matera. Access is on foot; the sandy dunes and muddy wetland edges near the river mouths call for closed shoes. Sea turtles nest on the beaches between June and August, so keep to the paths and avoid the nesting areas in summer.

The two wetlands near the Bradano and Basento mouths rest on a silt-clay alluvial layer dated to 1959 and 1972. Their inclusion in the Natura 2000 network as SIC and ZPS sites stems from this habitat for resident and migratory birds.