A Ramsar-listed coastal lagoon on southwestern Sardinia, shared between Arbus and Terralba.
Stagno di San Giovanni
Stagno di San Giovanni is a brackish coastal lagoon, or stagno, located in southwestern Sardinia, along the western side of the island near the municipalities of Arbus and Terralba in the province of Oristano. The wetland is part of a broad network of lagoons, ponds, and seasonal marshes that characterize this stretch of the Sardinian coast, and it sits within a landscape shaped by low-lying plains, dune systems, and Mediterranean scrub.
The site has been recognized for its international environmental value since the 1970s, when it was included on the Ramsar list of wetlands of importance, and it was later classified as a Special Protection Area under the European Union Birds Directive. Stagno di San Giovanni shares its broader protected designation with neighboring wetlands such as the Stagni di Santa Maria, Pauli Biancu Turri, and the Marceddì and Corru S'Ittiri lagoons, forming a connected complex of coastal habitats.
Today the lagoon remains a working wetland managed under the regional demesne of Sardinia, where traditional fishing for species such as sea bream, mullet, sea bass, eel, crab, sole, and clams continues alongside its conservation role. The combination of cultural fishing heritage and internationally recognized ecological value gives the site a distinctive dual identity that sets it apart from purely natural reserves.
