Falesie Di Duino Ing.Qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 1
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-Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 1 Regional Nature Reserve THE DUINO CLIFFS Photographs: Lenardon Marino Sterle, Felcher Luigi, P. -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 2 PRESENTATION The Regional Nature Reserve of the Cliffs of Duino is not only the The Cliffs of Duino are a good superb entrance point of the example of legal recognition of municipality of Duino Aurisina environmental protection, but but it is also a unique place from above all they are an example of where you can enjoy the enchanti- natural balance, preservation of ng beauty of the Gulf of Trieste. the environment and tourist The management of the Reserve is attraction. a concrete example of how the A hearty welcome to anybody who preservation of nature should and wants to share their great values has to go hand in hand with con- together with what surrounds scious and modern tourist them and makes the area of Duino fruition. Anybody who is going to Aurisina- Devin Nabrezina really visit the Reserve is also invited to worth visiting: beauty, history, cul- explore the remaining part of the ture and the big effort to create an municipality of Duino Aurisina, ideal environment in order to offer which is rich in nature, history and the best hospitality. high quality enogastronomic MAYOR OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF products. ˇ DUINO AURISINA – DEVIN NABREZINA THE COUNCILLOR FOR THE COMM. GIORGIO RET ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE RESERVES FULVIO TAMARO -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 3 THE RESERVE The Duino Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve was set up with Regional Law No 42 of 30th September 1996. It includes a high steep lime- stone coastline, the sea band in front of it and a narrow band of the Carso plateau, covering a total surface of 107 hectares. The Reserve belongs to the Municipali- ty of Duino-Aurisina Sage (Salvia (Obƒina Devin-Nabre- officinalis) in flower on the Δina) and is in the Duino cliffs. The cliffs from jurisdiction of the the sea. Duino-Aurisina sta- P. LENARDON tion of forest rangers. The Reserve is set in an area of out- standing natural beauty. The pas- scape features: the white limestone sage from Middle European bio- rock is one of the main features of geographic domain to Mediter- the Reserve, both in the form of ranean domain takes place along single towers along the coast and the Trieste coast, which includes rocks surfacing along the edges the Reserve. Beside this, the Carso shaped by superficial plateau is a transition area karst phenomena between two regions of the Mid- such as grooves. dle European domain: Alpine Along the cliff and Illyrian. Central Euro- edges between pean, Illyrian-Balkan and Duino New Cas- Mediterranean animal tle and Sistiana and plant species Bay, running thus live here. The alongside the re- area shows a high mains of military biodiversity, that is emplacements, a high number of winds the Centaurea species in proportion kartschiana. Rilke path, to the size of the area. opened in J. MIKULETICˇ The Duino Cliffs are 1987, which offers the only world location a broad view of the Gulf of Trieste, The cliffs from the sea. of the blue-bonnet Cen- from the mouth of the Isonzo P. LENARDON taurea kartschiana, a River to Cap Savudrija in Croatia. plant which grows on the cliffs closest to the sea. Highly interesting are also land- -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 4 VE-UD DUINO DEVIN New Castle R Duino New Castle. Rilke path. -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 5 The Duino Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve A4 SISTIANA SS 14 SESLJAN Camping Rilke path Bay of Sistiana Adriatic Sea E. MISSIO Sistiana Bay. -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 6 PROTECTION 1996 set up the Duino Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve, includ- The Duino Cliffs are one of the areas ing the area already outlined by of outstanding natural beauty the Belci law. According to art. 3 of designated by national law No regional law 42/96 a Regional 442/1971 (the Belci law) and were Nature Reserve includes an area proposed as a protected area. marked by its high natural value In 1978 the Duino Cliffs were and it has mainly conservation included in the “F.4 Coastal Strip” objectives. Art. 55 of the same law protected area of the General envisages the setting up of a Regional Town and Land Plan national and international pro- which proposed to the Regional tected nature area in the Carso, Administration the setting up of which will also include the Duino 76 protected areas and 14 regional Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve. parks - a proposal hitherto not The Duino Cliffs Regional Nature acted upon. Reserve, together with the shore- Article 49 of regional law No 42 of line of the Sistiana Bay, has been The nature of the Duino cliffs. J. MIKULETICˇ -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 7 proposed as a Site of community importance (SCI). These sites are envisaged by European Communi- ty Directive 92/43 which lays down that Union Members States desig- nate areas in their territories host- ing animal and plant species and habitats listed in the Directive enclosures. The conservation of these species and habitats is con- sidered an European priority. Sites of community importance will belong to an European network of protected areas called Natura 2000. The Duino Cliffs were included in these areas because they are the only example of high cliffs in the Italian Northern Adriatic Coast and the only world habitat of the endemic plant Centaurea na. Among other things, kartschiana. A grooved these forbid vehicle transit on limestone As regards animals, the rock wall. the Rilke path, disturbing Duino Cliffs are the northern wild animals in the area biogeographic limit of the distri- crossed by the path, taking dogs bution area of some bird species off the leash and the use of radios, typical for the Mediterranean, tape recorders and the like in the such as the Sardinian warbler Duino pine-wood. (Sylvia melanocephala), the Sub- alpine warbler (Sylvia cantillans) and the blue rock-thrush (Montico- la solitarius). The Duino Cliffs are also the west- ernmost point of the distribution area of the cat snake (Telescopus fal- lax). Access to the part of the Reserve comprised be- tween the Rilke View on the Duino Cliffs path and the at the beginning seashore was for- of the 20th century bidden in 1984 by I.TUTA COLLECTION a series of orders from the Mayor of Duino-Aurisi- -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 8 GEOMORPHOLOGY AND LIMESTONE The limestone of the Duino Cliffs formed in the Cretaceaous (ap- proximately 100 million years ago), when shells of planktonic animals deposited on the sea bottom, which then petrified. Approxi- mately 30 million years ago earth thrusts and movements caused the sea bottom to rise and emerge. Pe- trified layers rose inclined or verti- cally, as happened along the Trie- ste coastline. Vertical rock layers along the underlying coast, some of them in the form of single to- wers, can be observed walking along the Rilke path in the Duino Cliffs. When exposed to air and rain, to its composition, either dis- Vertical Grooves limestone under- layers solves or fragments. Between in the goes dissolution of limestone. vertical layers and smooth limestone. and, according walls there are screes com- -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 9 posed of material of A limestone various sizes deriving tower along from the fragmentation the cliffs. of the rocks above. Along the path rock fields can be observed, flat areas covered in pieces of fragmented rock. These rock fields are set along compact rocks which do not break but are slowly dissolved by water trans- forming insoluble (limestone) into soluble calcium carbonate. Rain combined with carbon dioxide corrodes limestone. Where water flows quickly on the surface of limestone rocks, it forms grooves. Where rocks are flatter and water stays longer, corrosion pools form. In some parts water manages to perforate the rock, forming holes. The effects of rain on limestone (grooves, corrosion ponds, holes) are called superficial karst phe- nomena and can be observed closely along the whole Rilke path. Limestone with holes. -Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 10 VEGETATION tinguished by their soil types. The cliffs are characterised by vertical There are two principal environ- or inclined rock walls, towers and ments in the Reserve: a) the cliffs screes. The soil is poor in water with rock walls and screes; b) the and earth and undergoes strong flat part on the plateau. The two summer insolation. The flat environments differ in terms of plateau has a more evolved soil both climate and soil conditions. which withholds humidity, thanks The part of the Reserve on the to the protective action of the plateau is colder, as it is exposed to black pine foliage. As a conse- the Bora, the cold east-north-east quence, woods developed here wind. The cliffs enjoy a warmer cli- whereas on the cliffs there are only mate as they face south towards few strips of scrub alternating with the sea and are sheltered from the screes, scantily covered by grass wind. and shrub. As a consequence, the two environ- ments have different types of vege- tation. On the warmer cliffs there is Mediterranean vegetation, while on the flat area there is an artificial wood of black pine with Illyrian-Balkan species (from the East) widespread on the whole Carso plateau.