San Giovanni Pond

Stagno di San Giovanni lies in the municipalities of Arbus and Terralba near Sardinia's west coast. Like neighbouring Marceddì Lagoon it has been on the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance since the 1970s and is designated a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive. It shares SPA area ITB034004 with the ponds of Santa Maria and Pauli Biancu Turri and the lagoons of Marceddì and Corru S'Ittiri. The basin is state-owned, with fishing licensed by the region. For visitors it is the quiet counterpoint to the better-known coastal sites: no paths or buildings, just shallow water, tamarisks and — depending on the season — flamingos, herons, spoonbills and ducks.