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The Selve Costiere di Toscana Biosphere Reserve is situated along the Mediterranean coast of Italy to the west of Pisa between Viareggio and Livorno in the region of Tuscany. The reserve is rich in biodiversity comprising natural and semi-natural plain habitats, including dunes, wetlands, mesophytic woodlands and pinewoods, and agricultural zones with hedges. These habitats contain rare species that have otherwise disappeared from most of Italy and the Mediterranean region. Plains woodlands that are rare elsewhere in Italy cover extensive areas of the reserve.The protection of dune environments is one of the main goals of the biosphere reserve. The coastal dunes are of particular interest due to the presence of sand-consolidating pioneer flora, endemic species and highly specialized animal species. The dunes are connected with the inland habitats through multiple symbiotic relationships, notably the protection they provide for woods against strong sea winds. The wetlands can extend for several hundred hectares (e.g.theMassaciuccoli marsh,Lame di fuori) and ensure the reproduction of numerous rare bird species such as the purple heron (Ardea purpurea), the great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and the cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis). In areas further inland vast tracts of land have been historically used for agriculture and were developed in past centuries from swamp areas. The flora in these areas follow the rhythm of soil tillage, cultivation management, animal breeding and other agricultural activities.