Data Zone
Country/territory: Italy
IBA criteria met: A3, B2, C2, C6 (2002)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 156,285 hectares (1,562.85 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A large, mountainous area in the central Apennines, including Maiella, Monti Pizzi, Bacino Aventino e medio Sangro, Monti Frentani, Alto Vastese and Lago di Serranella. The main habitats are broadleaved and mixed woodlands (dominated by beech Fagus and oak Quercus), very large boulders (especially in Maiella), gorges, scrub, grasslands, and cultivated areas, as well as rivers, streams and a small lake. The main land-uses are cultivation, nature conservation, cattle-rearing and tourism. Part of this area was listed as a separate IBA in the previous pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989), `Mountains and hills between Capracotta and Rosello' (former site IT081).
Key biodiversity
The site is important for breeding raptors and some species of mountain or forest.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Maiella, Pizzi and Frentani mountains (Italy). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maiella-pizzi-and-frentani-mountains-iba-italy on 22/12/2024.