In the commune of Serra-di-Ferro and owned by the Collectivité de Corse, the Tanchiccia pond is the most emblematic wetland in the region. In an exceptional setting, Tanchiccia is home to an important diversity of plants, animals and landscapes…
A threatened pond
The balance of the Tanchiccia pond is closely linked to the natural functioning of the Taravo river. A project for a large dam has been announced for thirty years already on this watercourse. If it were to see the light of day, it would certainly have an irreparable destructive effect on the Tanchiccia pond, but also on the life of the inhabitants, the agricultural and tourist activities of the Valley.
A unique microcosm
The Tanchiccia pond is a rich and diverse natural environment. To enable you to discover the biodiversity of this exceptional site while preserving the tranquillity of the place, specific facilities have been created.
Footpaths, observatories, a panoramic tower and a rest area were created in 2016.
Functioning of Tanchiccia
Fed by the autumn and winter floods of the Taravo, the Tanchiccia pond is at its fullest at the beginning of winter. It then gradually empties in the spring to be almost completely dry at the end of the summer. This natural cycle of filling and emptying helps to purify the waters of the alluvial plain, while the seasonal fluctuations contribute to the regular evolution of the landscapes and colours of the pond, as well as the associated plant and animal populations.
The reed bed of Tanchiccia
Most of the Tanchiccia pond is covered by a matrix of reeds (phragmites) and cattails (typhas) called the reed bed. The Tanchiccia reedbed covers about 18 hectares, i.e. almost three-quarters of the surface of the pond. It is the largest reedbed in southern Corsica! Punctuated by collections of water, ponds and old drainage channels, it is a calm and attractive place for a wide variety of animal species, especially birds.
History of Tanchiccia
Over the course of geological time, the Taravo alluvial plain has regularly evolved. At the end of the Tertiary era, the Mediterranean covered the lower plain of the river. Gradually, the sea retreated and left a depression whose bottom remained clayey.
Subsequently, the construction of a road in the 19th century (the present-day Porto-
Pollo) dammed up the pond. Particularly dependent on the river, the pond is filled according to the annual floods of the Taravo.
Geology of the site
The substratum on which almost the whole of the Tanchiccia pond rests is composed of magmatic rocks close to granite, the granodiorites. In many places on the site, these form large blocks hollowed out by erosion called tafoni, from the Corsican word tafonu (pronounced tavonou) which means “hole”.
A Corsican originality
As early as prehistoric times, tafoni were built to create living quarters, burials, cattle pens… In the 19th century, some tafoni were closed by a wall with a door and were then used as sheepfolds or temporary dwellings: these structures were called Orii (singular Oriu). Although none have been recorded at the level of the Tanchiccia pond, many Orii are hidden in the Corsican maquis.
4 golden rules for effective observation!
- Be as discreet as possible
- Do not leave the paths
- Do not run
- Be patient
