Monte Baracca, Contrada Giarrita
Site type: SAC - Special Conservation Area
Code: ITA070014 - Hectares: 1716
Description:
The site falls on the north-eastern side of Etna and is essentially characterized by ancient lava flows furrowed in some points by more recent ones. The altitudes are between 1000 and 1900 m with a bioclimate between the upper subhumid mesomediterranean and the upper humid supramediterranean. Quite widespread and well represented are the orophilic woods with Betula aetnensis on incoherent substrates, those with Pinus nigra ssp. calabrica on the rocky outcrops, while less frequent are the extrazonal beech woods and the Populus tremula formations. At lower altitudes, deciduous woods such as Quercus cerris or Quercus congesta are found. Aspects of pioneer vegetation with small shrubs or thickets of Genista aetnensis can be observed on the volcanic slopes and in the lava fields.
It is a site of considerable landscape and naturalistic value due to the presence of various types of well-preserved and floristically rich wood formations. There are also several entities that in the regional area are rare or considered of significant phytogeographic interest, in turn mentioned in the list reported in section 3.3 (D). The fauna is of considerable interest especially as regards invertebrates, including many species they are found at the southern limit of their distribution range, such as, for example, Oncopsis subangulata (J. Sahlberg, 1871), homopter with Eurosibyric distribution, closely related to the birch for its feeding, present in Sicily only in this station.
Source: Ministry of the Environment Natura 2000 form
It falls within the Etna Park
Ministerial data: Ministerial Map Natura 2000 form
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Photo: web
Information contributions: Ignazio Caloggero, Region of Sicily
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