Nature conservation in Sardinia

It was actually just luck that Sardinia's natural resources were not exploited in the course of tourism development, as was the case elsewhere, by investors ‘serving’ tourism.

When Aga Khan discovered the north coast of Sardinia by chance in the 1960s and ‘talked’ the Costa Smeralda into the municipality of Arzachena, unscrupulous businessmen elsewhere in the Mediterranean had long since created facts on the ground, paving formerly attractive beaches with concrete and bed castles, thereby causing irreparable damage. Hotels and other structures were being built everywhere in a race to attract sun-seeking Central Europeans to the Mediterranean. The more, the better. Consideration for nature, sustainable planning? Not a chance!

Not so Aga Khan. He recognised the limits of growth even back then. Although he was filthy rich, as the head of an Islamic religious community he was also deeply religious. And so he approached the development of his Costa Smeralda responsibly and with great respect for God's creation. (This reference is intended as a contribution to the current debate on Islam.)

Opinions may differ as to whether or not he became a trendsetter for ‘gentle tourism’, but in any case, standards were implemented in Sardinia that were new and can still be considered exemplary today. These include rigorous building regulations to protect the environment and nature. (I have already reported on this in this blog.) However, numerous nature reserves were also designated on land and even off the coast underwater (!). Nothing is allowed there! Even access is limited! One of these is Porto Conte, not far from Aga Khan's coastline of the rich and beautiful.

Porto Conte offers visitors some special sights. The park is designed to protect the sensitive ecosystem of the area. It covers an area of 5,350 hectares and is home to flora and fauna that scientists consider to be among the most interesting and significant in the entire Mediterranean region.

The surface of the park is quite diverse: the coastline stretches from Punta Giglio to Capo Caccia, and the adjacent hinterland consists of rolling hills and plains. The vegetation consists of centuries-old holm oak forests, interspersed with typical Mediterranean scrubland with broom, mastic and garrigue. Coniferous forests that once existed here have been reforested.

Animals such as the griffon vulture, the symbol of the Capo Caccia peninsula, survive in the park. It has the largest wingspan of all European birds of prey. It is one of the rarest species of vulture and is threatened with extinction. The most common mammals are wild boar, foxes, weasels and other small predators, fallow deer, mouflon, wild goats and the smallest mammal in the world, the pygmy shrew, which is only found in Sardinia.  Its Latin name is Suncus etruscus, it weighs only one to two grams and is the size of a fingertip. But its heart beats at a rapid pace, up to 1300 times per minute. A world record! One can imagine that this tiny machine needs a lot of fuel to run at such a high speed. Fortunately, it finds it here, because herbicides are virtually unknown in Sardinia. So there is a wide variety of insects, and as long as they exist, the pygmy shrew has a good chance of survival.

In addition, about thirty years ago, the endangered wild horses and donkeys from the nearby island of Asinara were brought here and thus saved as part of the Noah's Ark programme.

All this awaits your visit! You will find this natural gem on the north-west coast. The sea here appears even more crystal clear than elsewhere and shimmers in seductive shades of blue.

Guided tours are organised in cooperation with the Sardinian Forestry Office. There are four different options, all of which are appealing, interesting and educational. Take part or visit another reserve in Sardinia. It's always worth it!

I have only one request: please show respect for nature! Avoid anything that could harm it. Behave in such a way that it appears just as untouched after your visit as it did before!

With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.

Joachim Waßmann