Sila Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2014, in Italy. Sila Biosphere Reserve is in Calabria, a southern Italian region in the heart of the Mediterranean, and covers approximately 1,700 km². It includes Sila National Park (PNS). The Sila area is a large rectangular upland containing the main mountains of the Sila uplands in the central part of Calabria. The uplands form a mature erosion surface with soft-contoured mountains scattered with higher chains and peaks. From these, the region’s main rivers descend, including the Crati, Tacina, Neto, Trionto, Savuto and Corace. There are glacial moraines between 1,600 m and 1,750 m on Mount Botte Donato, as well as several springs, lakes and seasonal lakes. The plateau comprises many different landscapes, stretching across more than 400,000 ha of alluvial plains and valleys. The hilly, terraced terrain alternates with extensively flat areas and peaks that can reach nearly 2,000 m, where forest is the most predominant and distinctive element.