Editing Montecristo (section)

==Wildlife==
[[File:Capra hircus aegagrus-cropped.jpg|thumb|Montecristo's goat (''Capra hircus'')]]
The conditions that restricted the establishment of human settlements on Montecristo have favoured the preservation of its flora and fauna. Animals and plants once found throughout the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] still live on the island. Of particular interest are the giant [[Erica (plant)|heather]] formations covering the valley floors and several thousand-year-old [[oak]]s that manage to survive at the highest altitudes. Also interesting are the Montecristo viper (''[[Vipera aspis hugyi]]'', a subspecies also present in southern Italy, and today considered introduced by humans) and ''[[Discoglossus sardus]]'', an [[amphibian]] found only in a couple of islands in Tuscany and Sardinia. An [[Endemism|endemic]] subspecies of [[lizard]], ''[[Podarcis muralis|Podarcis muralis calabresiae]]'', thrives on the island.<ref name= lamb/> Montecristo is also a resting place for thousands of [[migratory bird]]s and is home to large colonies of [[seabird]]s (particularly relevant the [[yelkouan shearwater]], {{As of|2012|lc=y}} critically endangered on the island).<ref name=lif>{{Cite web|url=http://www.montecristo2010.it/stealthV3_pubblica/0810373AOO0333028084.pdf|publisher=Corpo Forestale dello Stato&nbsp;– Parco Nazionale dell'arcipelago toscano|title=Piano per l'eradicazione del ratto nero Rattus Rattus nell'isola di Montecristo|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=Italian|year=2011|author=Paolo Sposino & others}}</ref><ref name=lamb/> The island also hosts the only Italian population of [[wild goat]]s. The sea environment is quite rich: there are [[seagrass meadow]]s, [[sea anemone]]s, [[sea fan]]s, [[coral]]s and [[Ocean sunfish|moonfish]]es. Until the 1970s the [[Mediterranean monk seal]] was also to be found, a critically endangered species that has become extremely rare in Italian waters.<ref name=lamb/> Endemic species include the plant ''Limonium Montis-christi'',<ref name=lamb/> the invertebrate ''Oxychilus oglasicola'' ([[snail]] of Monte Cristo), also present on the islet of Scola, near Pianosa,<ref name=lamb/> and the reptile ''Podarcis muralis calabresiae''.<ref name=lamb/>

===Island of Montecristo nature reserve===
Nowadays the island has only two permanent human inhabitants, both nature reserve keepers. In addition, agents of the [[Corpo Forestale dello Stato|State Forestry Corps]] from [[Follonica]] live there in alternating shifts of two weeks at a time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/Benelli/Benelli.html |title=Isolani, ma non isolate |accessdate=27 February 2012 |language=Italian |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110221241/http://www.uniurb.it/giornalismo/lavori2004/esposito/Benelli/Benelli.html |archivedate=10 January 2014 }} archive.org</ref> The state nature reserve ''Isola di Monte Cristo'' is a biogenetic reserve of 1,039 hectares established in 1971 by ministerial decree to protect the unique nature of the island.<ref name=cfs/> Today it belongs to the [[Tuscan Archipelago National Park]]. It was also awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas in 1988,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.minambiente.it/home_it/menu.html?mp=/menu/menu_attivita/&m=argomenti.html |title=Ministero dell'Ambiente&nbsp;– Le aree protette italiane insignite del Diploma |language=Italian |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702235936/http://minambiente.it/home_it/menu.html?mp=%2Fmenu%2Fmenu_attivita%2F&m=argomenti.html |archivedate=2011-07-02 }}</ref> and recognized as a site of pan-European interest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwfeslreport.pdf|title=Habitats Directive WWF European Shadow List|publisher=[[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]]|accessdate=27 February 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Montecristo-68.JPG|thumb|The beach of ''Cala Maestra'']]
Visitors face a number of restrictions. It is not possible to stay overnight, and swimming, and surfing are prohibited within 1 kilometer of the coast. It is possible to cruise within three miles ({{convert|3|mi|abbr=out|disp=output only}}) of the coast, but fishing is not allowed. Access by sea is possible only at Cala Maestra (where the seabed is sandy) and with an approach course perpendicular to the coast; it is possible to dock at the pier or tie up against a buoy, but dropping anchor is not allowed; there is also a small heliport for emergencies. To visit the island, one must apply for access at the Forestry Corps in Follonica.

Visitors with basic authorization must stay at Cala Maestra, and can visit only the Royal Villa, the botanical garden, and the museum. The waiting list for access is long, since the limit for visitors has been set at only 1,000 per year. The average waiting time for approval to visit is three years, and priority is given to scientific expeditions, associations, and schools. Tours take place only on three existing trails, all of which are very challenging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://greenholidayitaly.com/2013/06/05/the-forbidden-island-of-montecristo-tuscany/ |title=The Forbidden Island of Montecristo, Tuscany |date=2013-06-05 |access-date=2016-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203212232/http://greenholidayitaly.com/2013/06/05/the-forbidden-island-of-montecristo-tuscany/ |archive-date=2016-12-03 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>