Devolution and evolution in the policy of biodiversity conservation in Italy: central or local approach?

Abstract

Following the politician debate on the devolution of a large set of environmental competences and powers to the local administrations, in this paper, we focus on the strengths of local site-based tactics versus high-level strategies in biodiversity conservation. First, independently from large-scale general strategies of biological conservation, some institutes that manage local resources (e.g., “Common lands”) often maintain a number of environmental values otherwise disappeared. Secondly, the conservation strategies through nature reserves should emphasize the local role of the different components of the biological diversity with Northern and Southern Italy showing a different pattern in this sense. Third, an analysis of the γ-diversity patterns along the Italian peninsula evidences differences among various taxa assemblages that require a local approach. Biodiversity may perhaps be better protected adapting regional and large-scale strategies to local sites where human populations lives and where natural and human-induced processes act on fine-grained biodiversity. When a National Agency develops a strategy at higher level, ‘blinded’ top-down conservation actions and policies may appear weak. Ecologists and politicians should collaborate for a positive evolution and devolution in environmental policies, even at local scale.