OBJECTIVES

Project’s main objective is restoring and creating ideal conditions both for wintering and breeding within Natura 2000 site «Pantani della Sicilia Sud-Orientale» for two of the rarest and mostly endangered duck species at EU level, Marbled duck and Ferruginous duck.

Project specific objectives, in decreasing degree of priority, can be identified as follows:

1. Significantly increase breeding and wintering populations of Marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris) thus creating suitable conditions to promote and bring to a final degree the colonization process of the area spontaneously undertaken by this species a few years ago
2. Significantly increase breeding and wintering populations of Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
3. Significantly increase breeding population of Purple swamp-hen (Porphyryo porphyryo)
4. Significantly increase wintering population of Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
5. Increase number, range and availability of ecological valuable niches and suitable breeding sites for a number of bird species currently migrant, in particular Waders (5 species in Annex 1 of Birds Directive), Herons (7 species in Annex 1), Terns and Gulls (6 species in Annex 1)