MENFI SPINY ARTICHOKE

Artichokes are grown in Sicily in the provinces of Palermo, Catania and Agrigento, but the countryside around Menfi is the best suited to the crop. In particular, the Spiny Artichoke grows in Menfi. It is known since 1800 and it is a medium-sized artichoke. Certainly thorns are an obstacle for the commerce, but it has also very good qualities. For example it is aromatic, crunchy and delicate; it is very sturdy to the preservation in oil and it also resists to the brazier’s fire. It grows with not much water and it is rarely fertilized with manure. Menfi Spiny Artichoke has also the Slow Food recognition to protect, enhance and encourage this product that is disappearing from the market for many reasons. In 2011 the agronomist Calogero Romano founded the «Spiny Artichoke’s productors Association» to promote the fresh product and its derivatives. Some young farmers continued to take care of a good and clean cultivation that is resisting illnesses. Yet the Association wants to encourage the sale of this vegetable all around Italy. On february 21 2014 the Spiny Artichoke was the protagonist of one of the episodes of Geo&Geo, a famous tv programme that talks about nature and environment. The anchorwoman Sveva Sagramola with Calogero Romano increased this vegetable’s world talking about recipes, comments and analysis about the Spiny Artychoke and Sicily, a valid storefront that uncased, once again, the local agricultural excellences.

DEFORESTATION

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.

Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as fuel or timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities and settlements.             

The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. Deforestation causes extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of populations as observed by current conditions and in the past through the fossil record.

An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year.       NASA predicts that if current deforestation levels proceed, the world's rainforests may be completely in as little as 100 years.

Countries with significant deforestation include Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, and Europe. Between 2000 and 2007, the Brazilian Amazon, called lungs of the earth, has been deforested at an average rate of 19.368 square kilometers for each year.

Deforestation is a man's choice.

One of the many wrong choices he makes.

You can choose to stop it. You can choose to do some little steps to save our world, our animals and ourselves.

Greenpeace

WWF

Us

We have chosen to say NO TO DEFORESTATION.

POLLUTION

TIPS TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

1.Don’t use plastic bags: use reusable bags for your shopping.

500 years! Do you believe it? A plastic bag takes such a long time to decompose.

2.  Reduce the temperature of your central heating.

The high emission of heat raises the planet temperature. Adjust the temperature to no more than 19°.

3.Make a better use of your appliances.

It’s frustrating that technology seems to have a short life. When your computer, television or mobile phone is broken, recycle it before replacing it.

4.Don’t waste water.

Remember. Two billion people in the world do not have access to running water. When you brush your teeth or shave, don’t let water run if it’s not necessary.

5. Catch the sun energy.

We waste energy in our homes that could be saved thanks to clever devices. It would be wise to install solar panels or photovoltaic plants.

6. Eat fruit and vegetables.

The production of meat is one of the main causes of gas emission. Moreover giant livestock farms need wide open spaces that are created through the deforestation of green areas.

7. Use low energy light bulbs.

Switch off lights you are not using and buy halogen bulbs of low consumption. When possible, take advantage of sun light through the windows.

 8. Reuse old stuff.

 

CARETTA CARETTA TURTLE

WINTER SEA

Despite the rough sea and the strong wind we were able to interview Mr. Napoli ,a WWF operator.

The cct  turtle makes one of the most amazing travels  in the natural world. It goes around the ocean , owing to its extraordinary direction sense, but it always goes back  to the place where it was born. Menfi coast is  the ideal place for eggs hatching. We are along   the coast of Menfi  where turtles spawned 128 eggs in 2014.  

We're interviewing Mr. Napoli :

S : Can you tell us something about this event?

Mr Napoli:  Of course! Cct  turtles spawned in 2012 and 2014.  When they find the right place, they  start making their  nests. In this place about 112 little turtles were born.  Other turtles’  eggs didn’t hatch. When eggs  hatched they made a cone shaped in the sand. The turtles ‘ eggs are perfectly white and round and they fall and accumulate in the nest one after the other. On the first night 22 turtles were born. When they went out of the eggs ,they went  immediately to the sea following  the moonlight.

S: Which coasts  do turtles prefer to spawn?

Mr Napoli: They prefer sandy coasts because they can dig. They also choose  uncrowded  coasts, without any bathing facilities ,houses and urbanization.

S. The cct turtle is an endangered species. What can we do to safeguard it?

Mr. Napoli: . WWF has been supporting a campaign for the protection of cct turtles for a long time. It consists of giving  information to people. The first advice is not to pollute the beach. Plastic bags, for example, are very dangerous. They reach  the sea with the wind . There  they eat jellyfish and die. The second idea is to realize maritime oasis where turtles can live peacefully. We have the Belice Nature Reserve , near the Belice river , where people can't build any  houses and bathing facilities.

  

WE MUST BE MORE RESPECTFUL OF THE SEA LIFE. 

THE ZINGARO NATURE RESERVE

 The Zingaro Reserve extends in an area of 1650 hectares, with a coast zone of about 7 Kilometers, formed of a rocky coast Mesozoic limestone with numerous creeks and characterized by overhanging cliffs that from a maximum height of 913 meters (Monte Speziale) go swiftly down to the sea.The geo-pedology structure is represented by calcareous Quaternary formations and most of all by Mesozoic reliefs of calcareous dolomitic nature. The morphology of the landscape shows sharp and irregular shapes. The lands which constitute the reserve are the result of both the human activity and the evolution of nature; in fact up to a short time ago every area, even small, was cultivated for agricultural aims. Important for the vegetation is the general climate, determined by an annual average temperature of 19 c° and by a rainfall of 645mm. even if it does not rain, there often are beneficent fog banks on the mountains, coming from the sea and bringing humid local microclimates. Around the northern slopes of M. Passo del Lupo, among others, it is possible to see a beautiful wall of centuries-old plant of ivy-clad and where there are relicts of Holm-oak wood. At the Western limit of the Reserve there also are fragments of Cork-plantation, interesting witness of that Cork forestall formation once widely extended and nowadays almost disappearing in the Western Sicily. Altogether the Reserve hosts almost six hundred species of vascular plants, over a hundred of macro mycetes, briofite, ferns and lichens in full bloomed in Spring. The Board Director is authorized to “orientate” the evolution of the vegetable consortiums.  The Reserve is proud of the Eagle of Bonelli that reproduces regularly by laying one or two eggs; the swift peregrine, the Greek partridge of Sicily that stands here permanently , the buzzard with white coffee wide wings, the kestrel, a dark brown small hawk, the barn owl, the tawny owl, the owlet close the outline of predators. The circling of the seagulls over the water surface, the blue titmouse among the bushes, the cute crest of the hoopoe, the song of the very small wren, that of the bunting and the river nightingale are part of the over 40 permanent birds. Closer encounters are those with the rabbit, the weasel, a small predator, the hedgehog, and at dusk the fox, and only in the night the porcupine, signing its presence with black and white aculeus everywhere. Among reptiles very common is the shining black and the elegant coluber, the horned snake, and the shy viper. Inside the Reserve there is the Naturalistic Museum, the Museum of the Marine Activities, the Museum of the Rural Civilization, where the complete cycle of the wheat is reproduced, and the Centre of the Environmental Education, also two equipped areas and some old rural houses as bivouac.

THE ALCANTARA RIVER PARK

The Alcantara River Park is a regional park in Sicily which was established in 2001.It includes the provinces of Messina and Catania , which form the basin of the Alcantara river. The park is located in Francavilla di Sicilia. The morphology of the area is created by the flow of the water that has shaped it , creating evocative and deep overhanging gorges , known as the Alcantara Gorges. Inside the park you can see a wonderful succession of lakes and waterfalls , of very cold water.

In the 15^th century in the Alcantara Valley there was a dense forest of plane trees , oaks  and elms . Today there are only rare traces of “Platanus orientalis” , but the typical Mediterranean stain ,with various species of broom and peony with its red inflorescence, predominates. As you descend in altitude, dense hazel woods alternate with citrus orchards and vineyards which produce a dark full-bodied wine, famous since antiquity. In the spring the river banks are an explosion of colors : purple, poppy anemone, myrtle, wild rose, prickly pear , oleander and various species of orchids 

( “Anacamptis”, “papilionacea”, “tenthredinifera Ophrys” and “Orchis purpurea”).

The fauna of the Alcantara Valley is varied , about 200 species , including the peregrine falcon , the kestrel and the hobby . the presence of the wild pigeon is doubtful , however the turtle dove and the kingfisher are  well distributed. Also you can meet the rock partridge , the little egret and the raven . Other animals are the fox, the wild cat, the marten, and the dormouse, the hedgehogs, the porcupines, and the Savi's vole. Near the banks you can see the “Discoglossus pictus” , a typical amphibian of Sicily and the leopard snake , a beautiful rare and harmless reptile. Among the fish species, there is the rainbow trout (that in this particular stream is able to reproduce itself), the roach, the eel and the goby. 

3-BIOGEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE TERRITORY (FAUNA)

This portion  of the territory in the province of Trapani has maintained valuable wildlife aspects until the 18th century as it is witnessed  by the writings of different authors. Today it is possible to see among the invertebrates the Freshwater Crab  Potamon fluviatile fluviatile, some carabid beetles alcuni coleotteri scarabeidi, mantises;  among the vertebrates the  discoglosso dipintoDiscoglossuspictuspictus, the common toad, the Berger frog Bufobufo, Rana bergeri the Uzzell frog and the Sicilian natrice  Rana Kleptonhispanica,Natrixnatrixsicula, the Sicilian pond turtle Emystrinacris.

Among the reptiles the gongilo, the common three-toed skink, the wall lizard, the Wagler lizard, the western green lizard,il geco verrucoso, the common gecko, the bianco  maggiore, the red-eyed saettone and the Southern common viper. ( Chalcidesocellatus,Chalcideschalcides,  Podarcis sicula, Lacertabilineata,Podarciswagleriana, Hemydacyilusturcicus, Tarentola mauritanica, Hierophisviridiflavus,Zamenislineatus, Vipera aspishugyi )

Among the mammals the dormouse and the black rat, the marten, the weasel, the porcupine, the rabbit, the hare , the hedgehock, the wild cat(Heliomysquercinus,Rattusrattus, Martesmartes, Mustela nivalis, Hystrixcristata, Oryctolaguscuniculus, Erinaceuseuropaeus, Vulpesvulpes, Felissilvestris).

Birds deserve a paragraph apart. Among the predatory birds we must mention the buzzards (Buteobuteo), the kestrels(Falco tinnunculus) and the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) that nidificate on the walls. The lanner (Falco biarmicus), a minor eagle (Hieraaetuspennatus) and the  sparrowhawk  (Accipiternisus). The pigeon (Columbalivia), the dove (Columbapalumbus)  and the turtledove(Streptopeliaturtur) are also common, this latter in the summer.

The cuckoo (Cuculuscanorus), the barn owl (Tyto alba), the owl (Strixaluco), the horned owl (Otusscops), the owl (Athenenoctua), the nightingale (Lusciniamegarhynchos), Thrush (Monticolasolitarius), the river nightingale(Cettiacetti), the subalpine warbler (Sylviacantillans), the warbler (Sylviamelanocephala) the beccamoschino (Cisticolajuncidis), the blue tit (Cyanistescaeruleus), Great tit (Parus major),

 the Jackdaw (Corvusmonedula), the jay (Garrulusglandarius), the hooded crow (Corvuscornix), the finch (Fringillacoelebs), the goldfinch (Cardueliscarduelis), the serin (Serinusserinus), the wren (Troglodytestroglodytes), the blackbird (Turdusmerula), the magpie (Pica pica) and Sardinian fluke (Passerhispaniolensis), that nidificate on the rocky walls, a fact that is quite unusual for a markedly anthropophilic species. The quail (Coturnixcoturnix), the hoopoe (Upupa epops), the swallow (Hirundo rustica) and the tree sparrow. In addition to this,  the heron, moorhen, Kentish plover , the red woodpecker, the thrush.

Bibliographical references and websites

Naturalista sicil., S. IV, XXXII (1-2), 2008, pp. 3-60

www.comuni-italiani.it/081/clima.html