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MONITORING OF THE MONK SEAL
In recent years, numeorus sightings of Monk Seal (Monachus monachus), a species considered extinct in Italy, have occurred in the Egadi Islands waters. The Monk Seal is considered an endangered species and is protected by the European Community. Its importance has therefore led the MPA of the Egadi Islands to start, in collaboration with ISPRA (“Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale” - Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), a monitoring activity along the entire coastline of Marettimo. This island in fact, due to its high cliffs and the intense karts phenomena, presents numerous submerged and emerged caves, which are ideal shelters to the specimens of Monk Seal.It is here that many sightings have been reported over the years, leading researchers to monitor and investigate more.In addition to this activity, an Observatory for the Study of the Monk Seal was set up in the charming locality of Punta Troia in Marettimo, within the recently renewed castle.