Castelporziano, Research and Conservation in a Mediterranean Forest Ecosystem: Presentation of the Volume

The Castelporziano Estate is located in the vicinity of Rome (ca. 20–25 km SW of the town centre; Castle of Castelporziano: 41 4404000N 12 2305900E), near the Tiber mouth, and along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea: an almost flat surface, from the beach to the interior limit, not exceeding the elevation of a few dozen metres and with a total surface of about 60 km. Most of the areas included in the Estate are covered with natural or semi-natural vegetation: the area classified as woodland reaches 4.578 ha, i.e. 75.7 % of the total; cultivations, roads and the Castle with surrounding settlements cover a limited surface. Recent investigations show that in Castelporziano about 90 % of the forested areas have maintained their destination use without changes since 1950: presently many of them have the character of old growth forests with monumental trees in need of careful management, in some places the trunks of dead trees still remain on the ground, and often a diffuse difficulty in rejuvenation is evident. The population of large mammals includes deer and wild boar, together with fallow deer (introduced); roe deer is also present, with few individuals of the endemic Italic variant (2–10 individuals per km). After decades of well-coordinated research, a very high biodiversity was assessed for this area: at present, 5039 species of plants and animals have been recognised, i.e.: Monera 8; Protists 118; Mushrooms 722; Lichens 229; Vascular Plants 1044; Animals 2918 (2380 Insects and 538 others, mainly vertebrates). It is possible to reconstruct the long history of this territory, based on ancient authors and archaeological evidences. It was settled already in proto-historical times (a burial site from over 3000 years ago, before the expansion of Etruscans). During the Roman Empire, villas and small villages scattered along the coast existed. In the books from this time (es. Vergil, Aeneid), the area is indicated as the place where homeric hero Aeneas landed with a few ships after the destruction of Troy. Indeed, in Roman times, malaria was diffused in this area, probably introduced from the nearby Pontine Marshes. With the crisis of the Roman Empire, the coastal plain was partly covered with stagnant, still water, and malaria spread over most of this territory, which was abandoned by the population. In the Middle Ages, the territory of Castelporziano was a forest used for the exploitation of wood, for hunting and for the breeding of the Italian buffalo. Only during the last centuries, the area became property of members of the Roman aristocracy, and a part of its surface was reclaimed and used as hunting grounds, for intensive breeding or cultivation. In fact, the name Castelporziano means ‘‘Castle of the wild boars’’ a clear allusion to the presence of these animals and hunting activity in the area. After the unity of Italy (1870), the area was bought by the Italian Government as a hunting The articles included in this volume, all peer-reviewed, are results of the multidisciplinary project coordinated by the ‘‘Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL’’, Rome, Italy, in the area of the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano near Rome.