GOLIA CORVO

Province: Cosenza
Municipality: Spezzano della Sila, Longobucco
Institutional Measure: Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture, July 13th 1977
Geographical Location: Silan plateau inside the complex of the State Forests of Sila Grande, spreading on 5.385 hectares
Typology: Biogenetic State Natural Reserve
Height: 1.300-1.600 m.
Spreading: 350 hectares

The reserve is located in the middle of the Silan plateau on mainly granite rocks. The area takes up part of Cecita stream basin until it floes into the homonym artificial lake. Its geological formation is only made up of alternating granites which give rise to not rich and loose soils. According to De Philippis, the climate is Mediterranean-like, with quite cold winters and quite hot summers, even if subject to drought. According to the classification made by Pavari, the whole reserve is part of the phyto-climatic area of Fagetum, hot sub-area alternating with the cold sub-area.
Flora and vegetation: the topsoil is made up of 320 hectares of pure pinus nigra [larch pine] high forest and of 20 hectares of mixed fagus sylvatica [beech tree] and abies alba [silver fir] forests.
Fauna: among the mammals which are found in this area there are the capreolus capreolus [roe] and the cervus elephus [deer], thanks to the reintroductions carried out in the ‘80s by the old Calabria National Park in collaboration with the State Forestry Department.
Until then, the native population of deer has been kept in the memories of the learned men of the XVI century. The first reintroductions of this species were carried out in an acclimatization and diffusion centre spreading for 400 hectares inside Sila National Park. This experiment got good results, insomuch as every year 15-20 species are set free inside the National Park. Today, thanks to these actions, the deer lives in the whole Sila National Park area.





Another reintroduction involved the roe, which today counts more than 200 species in Sila Piccola. Among other mammals there are the canis lupus [wolf], sciurus vulgaris [squirrel], felis sylvestris [wildcat], sus scrofa [wild boar], martes martes [marten], m. foina [weasel], mustela putoris [polecat], m. nivalis [weasel], meles meles [badger], lepus italica [hare], vulpes vulpes [fox]. Inside the reserve there is a big fauna pen for the projects of reintroduction of ungulates. The presence of a little rodent belonging to the gliridae family has great importance, the dryomys nitedula [species of dormouse], typical of arctic areas but living isolated in Calabria in the aspromontis sub-species. Among the nesting birds there are: accipiter gentilis [goshawk], accipiter nirus [sparrow-hawk], pernis apivorus [hawk], bueo buteo [buzzard], dryocopus martius [black woodpecker], columba palumbus [wood pigeon], otus scops [missel], jynx torquilla [wryneck], Picoides major [major red woodpecker], turdus viscivorus [missel], regulus ignicapillus [firecrest] parus palustris [marsh tit], phylloscopus sibilatrix [green chiffchaff], sitta europaea [nuthatch], oriolus oriolus [golden oriole], lanius collurio [little shrike]. Some of these species, such as the regulus regulus [golden-crested wren], carduelis spinus [siskin] and the loxia curvirostra [crossbill], which usually nest at higher latitudes, find a suitable habitat inside the Reserve and their preferred area on the Silan Plateau.