ASPETTI VEGETAZIONALI E PAESAGGISTICI DI SETTEFRATI (CEFALÙ, SICILIA SETTENTRIONALE), BIOTOPO MERITEVOLE DI CONSERVAZIONE

The area of Settefrati, lying along the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily, shows noteworthy naturalistic value. This biotope was so far untouched by the intensive urbanistic development which affected in the last decades the coastal belt of the Palermo district. In this paper the results of a plant landscape survey of Settefrati, including a vegetation map (scale 1:10.00), are presented. It is underlined the presence of an interesting aspect of mediterranean maquis (Myrto communis-Pistacietum lentisci), as well as of patches of Tamarix africana xerophilous woodlands and Populus nigra riverine formations. Along the coast psammophilous (Salsolo-Cakiletum maritimae and Sporobolo arenarii-Agropyretum juncei) and alo-rupicolous communities are also present. A careful conservation program is needed for this area, involving both the natural habitats along the coast and the inland rural landscape, characterized by ancient olive-yards.