• Campania is one of the Italian most interestingregions from the point of view of nature. It overlooksthe Tyrrhenian Sea with a coastline length of about360 km, while the interior is made up of a complexnetwork of mountains that make up the main ridgeof the southern Apennines.

• This configuration generates a considerableheterogeneity of environments that , for altitude ,slope, and exposure patterns, cause, significantchanges in plant and animal population

• .

Mountain Plain

Hill

The vegetation shows characteristics related to the climate, characterized byhot, dry and long summers and mild and rainy winters .

These climatic conditions favour the life of evergreen shrubs and trees.

The floristic composition of the "Mediterranean" is characterized mainly from"sclerophyllous species" SCLEROFILLIA (from: Scleros = hard and fillon =leaf).: evergreen trees and shrubs in compact compact , with hard, rigid,and leathery leaves.

Typical shrub species : They are part of the Mediterranean species that sharesome characteristics (low growth, strong trunks, , stiff and leathery leaves)which make them able to tolerate the salty winds that blow from the sea.

Typical Tree species : The trees are faced with long periods of dry soil, so theyare usually evergreen or shrubs and herbs. The pines (Pinus halepensis,Pinus pinaster, Pinus pinea) and, above all, the holm oak (ilex Querus)represent the natural species of the place.

Shrub species

•The Mediterranean scrub is not uniform throughout the coastal territory and, due to the different condition of the soil and to the rainfall, different types of plants can grow: oak, broom arbutus(Fig. 1), myrtle, laurel, rosemary, sage, cistus(fig.2), and juniper etc…. • In places with a drier climate, flora is becoming harsher, and the leaves are transformed into spines.

The type of vegetation that predominateson the reliefs of Campania, is in particularthe oak forest (Quercus pubescens) and ascrub mixed with flowering ash (Fraxinusornus) and hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia).Although less common, some importance isattached to forests of Quercus cerris , alder(Alnus cordata). and maple. The lastone goes up to the heights of 1000meters.Quite substantial extensions are occupied

by chestnut coppices that man hascertainly encouraged at the expense ofthe original forests .

There you can find the beech woods that climbup the slopes up to 1500 meters.

The native fauna of the Campania region is nowconsiderably reduced because of the highpopulation density present above all incoastal but also in inland areas.

However It is possible to recognize some variedenvironments that allow us to distinguish:

reptiles

birds

mammals

fish fauna

Reptiles count dozens of species:

Turtles (Caretta caretta - fig.1). Worth noting is their regular transit into the seas in front of the coasts of Campania

Tortoise (Testudo hermanni). Extremelyrare limited to a few isolatedpopulations

There are also:

the Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)

the wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)

the sand lizard (Coluber viridiflavus)

the viper (Vipera aspis)

The tessellated snake (Natrix tessellata) in the humid valleys of Lattari

Numerous species of birds have been counted so far in the region. Of these, almost half are certain or probable nesting.

As regards the phenomenon of migration and wintering, the region has a decisive international role.

The coast, the headlands, the islands and the ponds behind the dunes, are the sites of greatest importance to the phenomenon of migration, both for species coming from the south of Africa and for the wintering of breeding populations in northern Europe.

It is really remarkable the presence ofmammalian species in a region withsuch a high density of inhabitants:

Wolf (Canis lupus - fig.1)

Otter (Lutra lutra - fig.2)

There is, also, the presence of nuclei of: Wild boar (Sus scrofa),

European hare (Lepus europaeus)

Weasel (Mustela nivalis),

Marten (Martes weasel)

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Fox (Vulpes vulpes),

Rinolfo greater (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)

The pupils of the "Comenius" project with the expert marine biologist during the implementation of the activities related to the study of fish fauna

alice

argentina

Aguglia

aguglia imperiale

aguglia imperiale -marlin blu

Alaccia

alalunga

tonnetto

anguilla

cannolicchio

tellinacozze

vongola

polpo

calamaro

fasolaro

murice

Vongola verace

moscardino

Aragosta

Gambero rosso

Scampo

PannocchiaMazzancolla

Astice