Protected areas

A fifth of the national territory, nearly a quarter of the South and Islands area, is classified as protected areas.      

AN OVERVIEW

The need to take measures to protect flora, fauna and biological diversity is a recurring theme in European regulations defining policy for the sustainable management of natural resources. In particular, the creation and conservation of natural areas is fundamental for the protection of biodiversity. In 2011, the protected areas included in the "Rete Natura 2000" network covered 21.0 percent of the national territory.

DEFINITIONS USED

The Rete Natura 2000 network includes two types of protected natural areas defined following the introduction of European directives 79/409/Eec (modified by directive 97/49/Ec) and 92/43/Eec. The first set up the so-called Special Protection Areas (Zps - Spa) for the conservation of wild birds; the second covers the Sites of Community Importance (Sic - Sci), special conservation zones for natural and semi-natural habitats and wild flora and fauna. The indicator presented here is given by the ratio of the surface area of protected zones to the overall territorial area, for both Eu countries and Italian regions.

ITALY WITHIN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT

The figures available on an international level allow for an aggregation of the various types of natural areas (Sci and Spa) in the Rete Natura 2000 network, in order to draw comparisons within the whole of protected areas. In 2010, Italy was among the top ten countries in the Eu for the percentage of territory placed under Rete Natura 2000 protection, with an overall percentage of Spa and Sci of 20.6 percent, against an Eu average of 17.5 percent. Slovenia had the highest percentage of territory in the Natura 2000 network (35.5 percent), followed by Bulgaria and Slovakia (with 33.9 and 29.0 percent, respectively). In general, the Countries in the Mediterranean area, with the exception of Malta, had higher than Eu average levels of protected areas. Denmark (8.9 percent) and the UK (7.2 percent) had the lowest values, with the least protected areas within the national territory.

ITALY AND ITS REGIONS

In the Centre and North area, more than 3.2 million hectares of land are included in protected natural areas in the Rete Natura 2000 network, 18.4 percent of the total territory. In the South and Islands area this percentage rises to 24.7 percent, also thanks to the greater number of areas classified as Sci. The region with the highest percentage of protected areas in the Natura 2000 network was Abruzzo (36.2 percent), followed by Valle d'Aosta and Campania, both with more than 29 percent of protected areas. The region with the lowest percentage was Emilia-Romagna (12.0 percent). With reference to the areas covered by the Natura 2000 network, values of over 400,000 hectares were found in Veneto, Lazio and Puglia; Sardegna had more than 500,000 hectares and Sicilia more than 600,000. If the number of individual areas is considered, Lombardia had the greatest number (241), followed by Sicilia (234) and Lazio. Valle d'Aosta came last with 30 separate Natura 2000 areas.