Avocetta 41: 81-84 (2017) The Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos in the Aspromonte National Park: first surveys on its status and ecology GIUSEPPE MARTINO1,*, ANTONINO SICLARI2, SERGIO TRALONGO2 1 Ci.Ma. G.R. e C.A. (Gestione Ricerca e Consulenze Ambientali) - Via Temesa 16, 89131 Reggio Calabria, Italy 2 Ente Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte - Via Aurora 1, 89057 Gambarie di S. Stefano in Aspromonte (RC), Italy * Corresponding author:
[email protected] In recent decades, the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos ed into seven research zones, with field activities covering population in Italy has been negatively affected by numer- the period December 2015 up to August 2016. For the hab- ous environmental transformations determined through itat analysis, a vegetation map (Spampinato et al. 2008) anthropogenic actions: the gradual abandonment of tradi- was used, by dividing the territory into four environmental tional agricultural practices, together with the remarkable typologies (unsuitable areas, open areas, woods and refor- decline in pasture activity, mainly at higher altitudes, rep- estation) in order to calculate composition and percentages resent some of the threats that directly affect the species of the environmental typologies for each home range. (Mathieu & Choisy 1982, Huboux 1984, Esteve & Materac This research, carried out during the reproductive sea- 1987, Fasce & Fasce 1992, Pedrini & Sergio 2001, 2002). son, allowed to effectively monitor an area of approxi- In an unfavourable context, especially in regions such mately 310 km2, which is reduced slightly when consider- as Calabria, where these negative factors have had consid- ing the overlap between some observation points and the erable intensity, the role of protected areas has proved to be “shadow zones”.