Badesi Nature Area
The Nature Area of Badesi territory extends over an area of 2,255 hectares in the province of Sassari, encompassing the municipalities of Badesi, Valledoria, and Trinità d’Agultu e Vignola. The Coghinas river mouth forms the largest dune system in northern Sardinia which, beyond the extensively cultivated alluvial plain with intensive crops, is characterized towards the coastline by the presence of juniper groves with Juniperus macrocarpa and Juniperus phoenicea ssp. turbinata on dunes and by the series of psammophilous vegetation, often in an excellent state of conservation.
The consolidated dune habitats are characterized by the abundance of Armeria pungens and endemic associations such as the Helichrysum microphyllum ssp. thyrrenicum and Scrophularia ramosissima. Reeds and phragmites accompany the river banks and the estuary area.
In the site’s territory, numerous fauna species of international importance are present, protected by the EU “Habitats” and “Birds” Directives.
A total of 130 faunal species have been reported in the site, mostly belonging to the vertebrate group. Among these, the high number of bird species stands out, representing about 81% of all fauna found in the area.
The sluice gate is essentially a vertical sliding gate that moves along metal guides (the grooves) and regulates the water flow by modifying the useful section for its passage, up to blocking it when completely closed. This sluice gate was a hydraulic engineering work that served, and still serves, to regulate the water flow within the reclaimed lands. The executive project of the works is dated 07.11.1918, while the works were contracted to the company Crovetti Teofilo with a contract dated 04.07.1921.
The work subject to restoration is part of the Hydraulic System Works of Sardinia carried out at the beginning of the last century. The first reclamation works began in 1913 and ended in 1938. In 1926, at Punta Longinosa, the river was dammed by the Mazzone dam with the creation of an artificial lake, a useful reservoir of 254 million cubic meters of water, while the Casteldoria dam was inaugurated in 1956. The construction of artificial reservoirs eliminated the phenomenon of flooding in the Coghina plain
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