Marine Flora & Fauna

Thanks to the high number of habitats and the presence of plant and animal species of considerable interest, La Maddalena Archipelago National Park has been included among the Sites of Community Importance (SIC), according to the Community Directive 92/43 / EEC. There are more than 700 plants in the Archipelago, with over 50 endemic species. The waters of the Park host several marine species among the most interesting of the whole Mediterranean Sea. During the dives, regulated by the Park Authority, or even just swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Archipelago, with an ideal location between the Strait of Bonifacio and a low tidal excursion, you can easily observe the large amount and diversity of species present throughout the territory.

It’s possible to meet protected marine invertebrates such as Nacchera and Patella Ferruginea, sedentary populations of brown groupers and ravens, sea breams, scorpion fishes, octopus, cuttlefishes, squids, moray eels and congers, but also wonderful seahorses that inhabit the large grasslands of Posidonia, sea urchins, anemones, actinias and splendid corals and starfishes. The bottleneck between Corsica and Sardinia makes the waters that bathe the entire Archipelago an obligatory passage for large fishes and mammals. Dolphins are frequently sighted, especially Tursiops Truncatus, which have their reproductive habitat in these waters, sea turtles Caretta Caretta, majestic sperm whales but also common whales Balaenoptera physalus (second in size only to the blue whale). In recent decades, sightings of the friendly monk seal Monachus Monachus, in La Maddalena slang “boiu marinu”, have also increased.

The only species of terrestrial tortoises of the whole Archipelago lives on the island of Budelli, also famous for its Pink beach. The color of its sand is due to the fragments of the foraminiferous Miniacina Miniacea which lives on the Mediterranean tapeweed’s leaves. At the end of its life cycle, in fact, its remains are carried by the currents to the shore, giving to the sand the characteristic pinky color that has attracted so many visitors from all over the world.

The sea meadows formed by the Mediterranean tapeweed are of great ecological importance. The Mediterranean tapeweed is a plant, not a seaweed, and it extends from the surface up to 30/40 meters deep. It consists of roots, stem (rhizome) and leaves, it blooms in Autumn and its fruits (also called “sea olives”) can be seen in Spring, floating on the water’s surface and carried by the currents. The Mediterranean tapeweed meadows have a truly fundamental role in the conservation of the coastal systems of the Archipelago as they represent the first real barrier against coastal erosion. Furthermore, the Mediterranean tapeweed is very sensitive to environmental degradation, so its presence provides very useful information on the state of the waters. By monitoring its health, important information can be obtained on the conservation of the entire surrounding marine ecosystem.