Flora and Fauna

A living mosaic of biodiversity

The biodiversity of the Lucanian Apennines Val d'Agri Lagonegrese Park is among the most significant in southern Italy, favoured by the ecological continuity with the neighbouring parks of the southern Apennines, which allows genetic exchange between animal and plant populations and strengthens the stability of ecosystems. The park is home to extensive forests of beech, turkey oak and oak, alternating with mountain grasslands, clearings, river environments and wetlands, a mosaic of biotypes of high ecological value.

The extraordinary wealth of vegetation is shaped by the significant differences in altitude, ranging from peaks over 1,000 metres to hilly valley floors.

At higher altitudes, between 1,000 and over 1,700 metres, large mountain beech forests dominate, authentic green cathedrals that cover the Volturino, Monti Arioso, Pierfaone and Maruggio mountains. These are forests of extraordinary value, often enriched by noble deciduous trees that increase their ecological complexity and landscape value. This scenario features areas of absolute rarity, such as the Abetina di Laurenzana, where silver fir forms imposing stands that are unusual for the southern Apennines, or the Faggeta di Moliterno, a spectacular example of a thermophilic forest with rich and diverse herbaceous cover.

The high-altitude grasslands and open environments that creep between the mountain ridges are home to a flora of great interest, marked by the presence of exclusive endemic species, such as Hippocrepis glauca with its delicate yellow flowers, a plant exclusive to Monte Volturino, and an extraordinary variety of wild orchids, such as Ophrys lucana, Orchis simia and Ophrys apifera, surprising for its resemblance to a bee. Near Lake Laudemio, other rare botanical species can be observed, including the pink-toned Vicia sirinica and Astragalus sirinicus, while the rocky areas are home to rare plant species such as Achillea lucana, typical of Basilicata, and Knautia lucana.

As the altitude decreases, the landscape softens and gives way to mixed forests of turkey oak and downy oak, enriched with maple, ash, hornbeam and chestnut trees, until reaching the hilly and Mediterranean belt, where holm oak becomes the protagonist together with juniper, mastic, phillyrea and broom scrub. Here, the vegetation takes on brighter and more fragrant characteristics, while along the course of the Agri river and around Lake Pertusillo - one of the most evocative and delicate environments in the entire park - riparian environments and thermophilic woods develop, hosting an extraordinary variety of fungi, truffles and hygrophilous species.

This rich vegetation supports an equally diverse fauna. The aquatic environments, from watercourses to springs and large basins, are veritable treasure troves of biodiversity and home to fauna communities of great importance. Sensitive and rare amphibians, such as the Italian newt, the yellow-bellied toad and the spectacled salamander, indicate the high environmental quality of the waters. Furthermore, one of the most precious biological treasures is the Apennine bellied toad (Bombina pachypus), a species that forms one of the cornerstones of the conservation policies pursued by the Park.

Rivers and streams are also home to river crabs and crayfish, the latter being a valuable indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems. These communities, together with the rich fish fauna, form the food base for one of the Park's most emblematic inhabitants: the otter, which has returned to permanently populate the Agri basin.

The wetlands and rivers are frequented by numerous species of water birds, both resident and migratory. Herons, egrets, spoonbills and black-winged stilts find resting and feeding areas here, and it is here that the rare black stork nests. Among the most significant species is the Egyptian vulture, a small Mediterranean vulture, which has one of its last breeding sites in this area.

At altitudes above 1,500 metres, where the forest opens up to the high mountain horizons, the sky becomes the realm of large birds of prey: peregrine falcons and ravens are a constant presence, while in recent years the golden eagle has made a comeback. The eagle owl lives in mature, more secluded woods, while the red kite and buzzard are common in hilly areas, completing a picture of great balance in the fauna.

Among the mammals, the Apennine wolf represents the top of the food pyramid, playing a fundamental role in maintaining the natural balance. Alongside it live elusive species such as the wildcat and the polecat, the porcupine and the European hare, together with ungulates and small mammals that populate meadows and forest edges.

Alongside these symbolic species, the Park is home to a rich variety of smaller fauna: reptiles such as the European pond turtle and the European tortoise, large snakes such as the grass snake and the Aesculapian snake.

Among the insects, the presence of the Rosalia alpina, an elegant beetle that is one of the most fascinating in Europe and is associated with ancient woods, is an indicator of the quality and maturity of the forests.

In the Lucanian Apennine Park, flora and fauna are not simply elements of the landscape, but protagonists of a complex and vital system, where each environment interacts with the other, restoring the image of a nature that is still intact, dynamic and deeply identity-forming.