Background The Site of Community Interest (SCI) Torre Guaceto e Macchia S. Giovanni holds coastal habitats of exceptional beauty and interest. The primary threats to the site are human activities that bring about a loss of priority habitats and the deterioration of forest ecosystems. Although the area is classified as a State Nature Reserve, it is located along a coastal stretch, which the inhabitants of Brindisi and surroundings use frequently for beach leisure activities. Within the framework of a previous LIFE Environment project concluded in August 2004 (LIFE00 ENV/IT/000090), the area obtained support for implementing an integrated approach to environmental protection and management along the wider coastline (445 km). Objectives The HABI.COAST project aimed to alleviate the adverse effects of human activities and to improve the conditions for the natural vegetation on the Site of Community Interest (SCI). The project would carry out restoration activities in the dune habitats and improve the forest structure and composition by silvicultural management and by eliminating allochthonous species introduced by humans. Land, which borders the SCI and was cultivated, would be purchased and restored to a natural state. The land would act as a buffer against impacts from human activities and improve the ecological balance of the most significant habitats in the targeted area. Furthermore, the project aimed to raise stakeholder awareness and understanding of the environmental protection activities associated with sustaining biodiversity in the Torre Guaceto and in particular of the need to reduce human induced pressures in the area. Results The project successfully carried out some demonstration actions on the Torre Guaceto State Reserve in Puglia. The project actions were aimed at demonstrating some restoration techniques on coastal habitats, such as: (i) the removal of non-indigenous species (mostly Tamarix africana, Myoporum tenuifolium and Pinus halepensis) to favour the development of indigenous vegetation (Quercus ilex and maquis shrub species) over an area of some 20 ha; (ii) the restoration of c. 10 ha of agricultural land (acquired by the project for this purpose) by transplantation of indigenous shrub and tree species; (iii) the restoration of dunes by naturalistic engineering techniques; and (iv) the breeding of local plants in the local/regional nursery. The total area affected by concrete conservation actions was just over 30 ha. All actions were accompanied by a well designed monitoring protocol which also will be used in the after-LIFE phase. The project succeeded in enlarging the SCI and its Management Plan for the State Reserve was approved at regional level and by the Ministry of Environment. Another important result (not directly foreseen in the project, it can be considered as a side-effect of the LIFE actions) was the closure to vehicles of one of the access roads to the beach; a car park was established inland and an electric road-train was made available for transporting tourists to the beach. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).