Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A shallow lake, close to the town of Viareggio, 4 km from the Tyrrhenian coast. The lake is surrounded by a belt of reeds
Phragmites of variable width and there is a large freshwater marshland (Padule) adjacent to the lake on the north side, consisting of stands of sedge
Cladium with scattered pools and canals. The surrounding areas are intensively cultivated. Main land-uses are agriculture, nature conservation and tourism.
An important breeding site for reedbed species, notably
Botaurus stellaris (the main breeding site in Italy), and a key staging site for the globally threatened
Numenius tenuirostris. Formerly much more important for wintering waterbirds, especially
Fulica atra (tens of thousands); decline due especially to hunting and a reduction in the extent of submerged vegetation. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Aythya nyroca (max. 4 birds in winter).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threat is the intensification of agriculture in the surrounding area, which is leading to water pollution, lowering of the water-table, and shrinkage of wetlands. Some or all of the site is covered by a management plan. There is a LIPU reserve on the east side of the lake.
National High
International High1,700 ha of IBA covered by Regional Nature Park (Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli, 22,000 ha). 1,700 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Massaciuccoli, 2,000 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Massaciuccoli (Italy). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-massaciuccoli-iba-italy on 23/11/2024.
