ROME (ITALPRESS) – First day of the States General of Protected Areas in Italy today in Rome. Ten years after the last convocation, the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, together with Federparchi, calls together all the actors of the national system of Protected Areas. The event saw on the first day speeches by multiple personalities from the political and institutional world. Tomorrow the work will conclude with a speech at 3 p.m. by Minister Gilberto Pichetto. Undersecretary for MASE Claudio Barbaro, in his speech today, stressed the importance of an instrument to coordinate the policies and activities of protected areas. The preparation would be the responsibility of the MASE through technical tables with other central administrations and regions. This is in order to network parks in Italy and field a unified, systemic, forward-looking and programmatic strategy. “The Protected Areas have done an excellent job so far, but in order to overcome this atomized and parceled world, we need a directing body and to network toward shared goals. A tool for coordinating policies and activities for protected areas is essential.” This is what emerged during the first day of the States General of Protected Areas, which-thanks to the participation of national and local institutions, environmental organizations, park authorities, the world of research, universities, culture and tourism, political representatives from all sides whose contribution was important in the search for solutions and shared paths, the productive world, and local authorities-represented a concrete opportunity for confrontation with the aim of amending Law 394 of 1991, “which has done its job well but needs to be updated,” Barbaro concluded. Speakers included Nello Musumeci Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies, Daniela Santanchè Minister for Tourism, Undersecretary for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies Patrizio La Pietra and, as ‘hosts,’ Lazio Region President Francesco Rocca and Sabrina Alfonsi Assessore Agricoltura, Ambiente, Ciclo dei rifiuti di Roma Capitale. Italy territorially accounts for between 0.2 and 0.5 percent of the planet, but it is one of the countries with the greatest variety of living species and is covered, according to the latest EUAP data, about 22 percent by protected areas. There are twenty-four National Parks on the national territory, 30 Marine Protected Areas (plus the Pelagos Sanctuary and 2 Underwater Parks), 149 State Nature Reserves, 149 Regional Parks, 450 Regional Reserves, 5 Geomining Parks, to which other national and regional protected areas, Natura 2000 sites, Ramsar sites, UNESCO MAB reserves, and SACs should be added. Protected areas all over the world host 8 billion visits each year, and in Italy we have close to 100 million presences, without considering that, directly or indirectly, about 2 million Italians are employed in activities involving or exercising in protected areas.-photo Press Office of Undersecretary of State Claudio Barbaro – (ITALPRESS).
