Area Marina Protetta di Miramare

The Reserve

Miramare Marine Reserve was established in 1986 with a Decree by the Department of the Environment, which entrusted its management to the WWF Italian Association (D.M. 12th November 1986). The State-owned Reserve covers an area of 30 hectares and is surrounded by a stretch of sea of 90 hectares, regulated by the decree of the Port Authority (n. 28/98).
The protected area lies at the foot of Miramare promontory, a coastal branch set between the small marina of Grignano and Barcola coastline, a summer sea resort for the local people. It is situated along a sea-coastal stretch, characterized by rocks in the coastal stretch and gradually sloping down in boulders, pebbles, and muddy formations as you move from the coast to the sea. The rocky, pebbly, and sandy seabed reaches the depth of about 8 meters, then it is made of mud, and reaches the maximum depth of 18 meters. The coast is formed by the characteristic calcareous rock of Carso: Miramare promontory represents a small extension of its coast.

Further info

Environments

Tidal area

The area between the limit of the low and high tide is a particularly hostile environment, difficult to colonize. As a matter of fact, the marine organisms must be able to survive out of the water for some time: to do this, they have developed a series of adaptation strategies.

Cliffs

The boulders protecting the socle on which Miramare Castle rises represent one of the richest environments of the Reserve. As a matter of fact, they ensure the presence of several fissures used both as a shelter by fish and as an anchorage substratum by the different species of algae and benthic invertebrates covering the cliffs.

Sandy and muddy seabed

The sandy and muddy environment looks rather bare and dull but, after a more careful observation, you can see some traces betraying the presence of living organisms.

Fauna

In Miramare Marine Reserve there are:

Flora

As far as flora is concerned, it is possible to find different kinds of algae: