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The protected area is what remains of the ancient Lake Prile Lake or Preglio, (lat: Lacus Prelius et Lacus Prilius vel Lacus Prilis) vast lake basin which in past centuries was almost entirely this lowland area and that was almost entirely dried up as a result of major reclamation projects initiated by Lorena in the eighteenth century through channeling water works to eliminate malaria.
The area was declared a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention of 1971 and is one of the interesting vegetation habitats worthy of preservation in Italy listed by the Working Group for nature conservation of the Italian Botanical Society and the Territorial research programme on wilderness to protect performed by CNR and the Ministry of public works. In addition, the reserve falls within the SIC n º 111 and SPAS 111B identified as “a very important area for the staging, wintering and nesting aquatic bird“. ICBP sites in recent years was the most important wetland in Tuscany for wintering of ducks; of great importance also for nesting herons and Circus aeroginosus.
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You can visit the Diaccia Botrona wetlands on a boat owned by the nature conservation Office of the province of Grosseto.
The visitor center at the service of the provincial nature reserve Diaccia Botrona was created in the listed building commonly known as Casa Ximenes. Today, it serves as a place of welcome for all who want to go to visit the reserve Diaccia Botrona.
Inside it is possible to use a multimedia system for observation of flora and fauna, not just the one in provincial Diacca Botrona natural reserve, but also present in many other nature reserves in our province of Grosseto.
The visitor center is structured in such a way as to guarantee the observation from several points and allows access to nature trails.