The site of Community Interest (SCI) “Ponds of Murtas and S’Acqua Durci” has an extent of 745 ha and it is located on the coastal strip of the geographic area of the Sarrabus, along the south east coast of Sardinia and it lies on the Province of Cagliari, in the municipality of Villaputzu.

The SCI area embraces the coastal section of the mouth of the Rivulet Quirra, including the part of the territory extending from the promontory of the Tower of Murtas to Capo San Lorenzo.

The northern part of the SIC includes the humid area of the Ponds of Murtas while southward the boundary is narrowed only to the sand bar, next to the modest granite reliefs of “Sa Iba Manna” and “Sa Perda de Su Crobu”, and then expanded again, circumscribing, toward the mouth of the Rivulet Flumini Durci ( the terminal stretch of the Rivulet Quirra), the humid area of Pranu Gialea, a small alluvial plain that ends to the sea with Ponds of Beccarinu and Pardu Mareus which are behind the dunes.

The SIC area Ponds of Murtas and S’Acqua Durci lies on the Homogeneous Hydrographic Unit of the Flumini Durci or the Rivulet Quirra that has an extent of 1065 sq. Km and affects the central-eastern part of Sardinia, that coincide with the eastern part of the historic region of Ogliastra; the main river is the Flumini Durci.

The whole area is of remarkable landscape and environmental interest, from a geomorphological and natural point of view, with landscapes that notably differentiate from inland areas to coastal areas and in which there are several natural monuments among which is worth to mention the shale valley of the Rivulet Pardu, affluent of the River Pelau.

The area surrounding the SCI is characterised by various reliefs, the closest and noteworthy are : on the north M. Arrubiu (106 m.a.s.l), in the south “Br. cu Croccoriga” (220 m.a.s.l ), in the south-east zone “Capo S. Lorenzo”.

The Plain of Quirra gives place to a wide crescent-shaped sandy which is almost 8 km long. All along the coast there are well developed sand dunes covered by Psammofita.

The formation of the sand bar seems to be attributed to a “dive bar” (a deposit of sand on the seabed which takes form off the mouth of the river), that with subsequent sandy contributions, has led to its immersion, isolating inland ponds and marshes. In the area surrounding the SCI can be found valuable archaeological evidence easy to visit such as the megalithic complexes consisting of “Protonuraghe”, single “nuraghe” and “nuragic village”.

The area within the SCI “Ponds of Murtas and S’Acqua Durci” is characterised by habitats of high natural value. The site consists of 10 habitats of Community interest, 3 of which have a major role: Posidonia beds, coastal lagoons, Mediterranean salt meadows.

The Flora is characterised by the presence of Linaria flava, species listed in the Habitats Directive. It is an endangered species and its presence in the SCI is rare as it grows in clearings subject to anthropic pressure during the summer months.

It is found only in sea beaches and it is a Sardinian-Corsican endemic species. Also alien species, which are naturalized plants that are not part of the Sardinian contingent spontaneous flora, play an important role.

To the great landscape diversification corresponds a similar diversification of the fauna within the site, particularly of the avifauna, which includes many species included in the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive.

Within the SCI can be found, as well as numerous species of birds, numerous species of amphibians, fishes and reptiles. During the census cycles were observed, in total, 18 species of wintering waterfowl belonging to 10 different families.

Among the breeding species of conservation interest can be mentioned the Cory's Shearwater, the Shag (the breeding site does not fall exactly in the SCI, but on the rock of Quirra, an islet located just off the coast of the SCI), Little Bittern, the Sardinian partridge, the marsh harrier, the Purple Gallinule, the Knight of Italy, the Kingfisher.

To preserve the SCI is necessary to follow a few simple rules:

• Collect and differentiate always the rubbish by type;
• Do not light fires and report any fires,
• Avoid emission of noises, lights, and sounds which may trouble the local fauna;
• Do not pick protected flora and do not damage plants;
• Report any situations of environmental degradation or threat to plant or animal species;
• Do not create dumps and deposits of rubbish or scrap of any kind;
• It is forbidden to drive vehicles on the dunes and the beach.