Riserva naturale Bosco Pantano di Policoro, Regional nature reserve in Basilicata, Italy

Riserva naturale Bosco Pantano di Policoro is a 500-hectare regional nature reserve established in 1999 across the municipalities of Policoro and Rotondella. It combines the marshy Pantano di Policoro, with its reed beds, and the Bosco di Policoro, a remnant of the flatland forests of Pantano soprano and Pantano sottano. The woodland is dominated by ash, black alder, white poplar, Turkey oak, field maple and laurel.

The reserve was established by Regional Law no. 28 of 8 September 1999, covering 500 hectares in the municipalities of Policoro and Rotondella. In 1931, 1,600 hectares of forest were recorded in the area; today 680 hectares remain, reduced by human activity and drought. The Bosco di Policoro is what survives of the two woodland nuclei known as Pantano soprano and Pantano sottano.

The reserve's name recalls the Pantano, the marsh that once dominated the area; the wood is what remains of the Pantano soprano and Pantano sottano forest nuclei. The WWF Policoro Herakleia oasis, 21 of the 500 hectares, is named after Herakleia, the ancient Greek city on the Ionian coast nearby. The visitor centre is at Piazza Siris 1 in Policoro.

The WWF oasis covers 21 of the reserve's 500 hectares, and its visitor centre is at Piazza Siris 1 in Policoro. The Pantano di Policoro, a marshy area with reed beds, is the main spot for watching the roughly 170 recorded migratory bird species. Paths cross both the wetland and the flatland forest, so footwear suited to damp ground helps.

The woodland harbors an extraordinary variety of insect species that depend on humid forest ecosystems to survive. This exceptional biodiversity makes it a destination that draws researchers and nature enthusiasts interested in lesser-studied aspects of the local ecology.