Riserva naturale integrale Lago Preola e Gorghi Tondi, Regional nature reserve near Mazara del Vallo, Italy.
Riserva naturale integrale Lago Preola e Gorghi Tondi is a protected area near Mazara del Vallo that includes two lakes and three circular freshwater ponds formed by natural sinkholes. The entire site covers approximately 335 hectares of wetlands and surrounding grassland.
The Sicilian Region first protected this area in 1981, with official designation as an integral nature reserve following in 1998. This recognition reflected the growing importance placed on preserving key wetland habitats across Sicily.
The reserve's name comes from Lago Preola and the three round karst ponds called Gorghi Alto, Medio and Basso, beside Lago Murana. The Gorgo Basso holds coots, moorhens, mallards, pochards, teals, little grebes and shovelers, while migrating little bitterns, purple herons and grey herons pass through. The endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris lives here.
Access to the reserve is from Provincial Road 66 or Provincial Road 115, at the Gorghi Tondi locality in the municipality of Mazara del Vallo, toward Torretta Granitola. The reserve is integral, so entry is not free-roaming; the sources give no opening times or booking details.
The site earned Ramsar Convention recognition in 2011, marking its status as a wetland of international importance. This designation links it to a global effort to protect the world's most vital water habitats.
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