Italian National Parks Research Articles

Monitoring the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) framework using evaluation of effectiveness methods. The Italian case

Protected areas play an important role in the preservation and implementation of bold environmental agreements, among which the 20 Aichi Targets (Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, COP 10), with their focus on effective management systems supporting the conservation of biodiversity and eco-system services (Aichi Biodiversity Target 11). The aim of this paper is to illustrate the MEVAP (Monitoring and EValuation of Protected Areas) methodology, Italy's contribution to the topic of evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas within the international landscape (WDPA–IUCN, World Database on Protected Areas – Union for Conservation of Nature). The purpose of MEVAP is to provide a periodical review procedure as part of the process to improve the management of protected areas. Its starting point is the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data pertinent to the environmental, social and economic aspects of protected areas and to their governance.This paper illustrates the results obtained using the MEVAP method and its application to several clusters of Italian national parks. While highlighting the potential of this method, the document also proposes an initial assessment of the environmental, social and economical performance of protected areas and how performance is connected to its governance.Underpinning the study is the need to expand the use of evaluation practices and to spur scientific debate in the direction of widely spread adaptive management methods, with a view to optimising policies and management procedures and, therefore, achieving the protection targets that must be met by protected areas through their institutions.

Characterizing the fragmentation level of Italian’s National Parks due to transportation infrastructures

In the last decades, due to the population increase and the relative need of new land to cultivate, expand urban centers and develop transportation networks, most of the Italian natural protected areas are subject to different typologies of human pressures that generally cause habitat fragmentation. This process represents a major concern for biodiversity conservation and a key driver of species loss.The main purpose of this paper was to investigate levels of natural habitat fragmentation due to roads and railways networks in the Italian National Parks (INPS) through the use of an Infrastructural Fragmentation Index (IFI).All the operations (geospatial analysis, image classification, and fragmentation analysis) were performed using a Geographic Information System (GIS) software for elaborating a national database. The obtained results include an IFI value for each natural territorial unit inside any INP. Moreover, in order to highlight which are the INPS characterized by higher infrastructural fragmentations, an IFI weighted mean was calculated for each INP. These results represent important indicators for the prioritization of biodiversity conservation interventions and the planning of a INPS sustainable management.

Wild boars’ social structure in the Mediterranean habitat

Wild boar Sus scrofa has become a pest throughout Europe, but its social system in this setting is unknown, making it difficult to implement an effective management strategy. We collected data on social grouping patterns by video-trapping the population living in an Italian Mediterranean National Park. We collected over 120 days of observations and the activities of 1431 wild boars. The seasonal variations in wild boar social organisation seem to be directly related to the biological cycle, with some exceptions, such as the unexpected presence of solitary or groups of piglets. The population was more active during the summer, and the mean group size (4.14 ± 0.21) was quite similar to other European boar group sizes. We confirmed that video traps are an appropriate method to monitor versatile wildlife, especially for assessing the population structure, sex and age ratios of wild boars.

A novel papillomavirus isolated from a nasal neoplasia in an Italian free-ranging chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra)

Most amniotes are the hosts of many, distantly related papillomaviruses (PVs). Infection by PVs can be asymptomatic, or lead instead to benign or malignant lesions. However, PVs infecting animals and associated with malignancies are still largely understudied. In the present study, we communicate the complete genome of a novel PV found in a nasal neoplasia of a free-ranging alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) in an Italian national park. Long-PCR and cloning approaches followed for Sanger sequencing were used to identify the first PV found in chamois.The genome of the novel virus – RrupPV1 – of 7256bp in length, presents the classical PV structure, and lacks the interE2-L2 region that hosts the E5 gene in AlphaPVs and in DeltaPVs. The nucleotide identity percentage of the L1 ORF, places RrupPV1 together with OaPV3 in the same genus. The latter is a PV isolated from a squamous cell carcinoma in sheep in Sardinia. Full-genome phylogenetic reconstructions suggest that these two viruses are sister taxa, and that both of them are very distantly related to any other known PV.Many cetartiodactyl species are infected by non-monophyletic PVs. Our results exemplify further the multiple links between the infection by certain, distantly related PVs and the development of diverse cancers in animals and highlight the need of a systematic search of oncogenic and non-oncogenic animal PVs.

Volatiles fingerprint of Artemisia umbelliformis subsp. eriantha by headspace-solid phase microextraction GC–MS

Artemisia umbelliformis subsp. eriantha is a protected species, whose essential oil is used in liqueur industry. Volatile profiles of fresh leaves and flowers from wild plants in comparison with regenerated in vitro plants introduced in experimental fields within an Italian national park were evaluated by headspace-solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS). The chromatographic profiles appear to be qualitatively similar. The content of thujones, the characteristic metabolites of this species, is comparable with that obtained by analysis of essential oils. Principal component analysis of the HS-SPME-GC–MS data supports the possibility of differentiating scent blends of genetically identical plants, and even flowers and leaves from the same individual. HS-SPME-GC–MS is shown to be a very efficient method to analyse and to describe the pattern of components of A. umbelliformis subsp. eriantha cultivars' scents. It represents a rapid screening method highly recommended for the study of protected species, because it is non-destructive and it only requires small amounts of fresh material.

An Estimation of Urban Fragmentation of Natural Habitats: Case Studies of the 24 Italian National Parks

Italy is a densely populated country, where most of the land is actively used by its human population. As a result, many of the remaining natural areas are subject to different typologies of human pressures that generally cause habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation, unanimously considered as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation, is due to a variety of factors related to land use changes, such as urban sprawl, increasing of transport infrastructures, and the intensification of agriculture and forestry practices. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate levels of natural habitat fragmentation due to the presence of human settlements in the Italian National Parks through the use of the Urban Fragmentation Index (UFI). All the results were recorded in a GIS database (Geographic Information System), elaborating a new method for a comparative spatial analysis of these records in order to achieve a critical scale of the habitat fragmentation levels in each of the 24 Italian National Parks. The results represent an important indicator for the prioritization of biodiversity conservation interventions in the Italian National Parks.

Green Rhetoric in Blackshirts: Italian Fascism and the Environment

Abstract In comparison with the significant historiographical work on the German case, specifically on Nazi environmental policies and ideology, studies on such issues for other Fascist regimes are still rather rare. This article attempts partially to fill this gap, at least as regards the Italian case, offering a general overview of the Fascist regime and its environmental politics and narratives. Analysing how Fascists appropriated Italian landscapes through both discourses and concrete policies, this paper examines the construction of a Fascist nature as a rhetorical, symbolic and geographical space. In particular, this essay explores the combined process of appropriation and expropriation through the analysis of two diverse but intertwined issues: firstly, Fascist rural ideology as a narrative on the mutual constituency of nature and people and secondly, the creation of the first Italian national parks, their successes and failures as institutions of nature conservation and their role as symbols of the nature/society divide. While blending the ideas of race, landscape, history, modernity and ruralism, Fascists shaped both the national environment and general ideas about nature in a narrative which affected the very object of the narration - that is, nature itself.Â

The Possibilities for the Development of Tourism in the Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park: A Participative Qualitative-Quantitative Approach

Protected areas can represent a strategic laboratory for the realisation of initiatives capable of promoting sustainable economic development models at a local level. One of the duties of national parks is to provide value and promote, even for tourism purposes, natural, historical and cultural resources subject to restrictions in the territory. This contribution describes the research process activated for the definition of a tourism development strategy in the youngest Italian national parks, the Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese located in Basilicata. This is a protected area which has not yet been developed from a tourism point of view and it has an eclectic naturalist value characterised by flora on one hand and significant fauna on the other, as well as a subsoil rich in hydrocarbons (the largest deposit on continental Europe). In light of this typicality for the area, research favoured a participative type qualitative-quantitative approach, involving both local stakeholders, for exploration of the area's potential and definition of possible tourism development scenarios, and actual or potential users interested in the area, for assessment of the proposed alternatives. The information and data collected allowed, on one hand, the identification of major critical areas which currently make tourism in the area an activity that is still economically marginal with respect to the local structured economic system, and on the other hand, identification of some themes around which to build a competitive tourism product in line with market demands in observance of sustainability. Through a contingent assessment exercise it was possible to understand what the preferences are with respect to different hypotheses of the tourism offer in the area for current and potential tourists involved in the survey and, at the same time, to identify some elements to examine in order to improve attractiveness.

Local Community Participation in Italian National Parks Management: Theory versus Practice

The need for participation of local communities in the management of protected areas (PAs) is widely acknowledged, and its implementation is viewed as an indicator of sustainable practice. Such participation is increasingly mentioned in the recent European Union (EU) policy and legislation, yet little statutory guidance and few minimum requirements are available. Italy, as an EU Member State, has committed itself to incorporate participation in PA management. However, to date, there has been no assessment of how participation has materialized in practice. This paper presents the results of an investigation of participatory practices focusing specifically on local community involvement in Italian National Park management. The investigation is based on a review of the state-of-the-art theory on participation in PA management, specifically addressing the following questions: what levels of participation are preferable, what methods should be utilized in order to enable effective PA management and who should participate? The results show a discrepancy between best practice theory and practice for the case of Italy. More importantly, the results indicate the need for the development of practical guidance and a common participation framework for PA management in Europe.

Erratum to: Classification of the oldgrowthness of forest inventory plots with dissimilarity metrics in Italian National Parks

The concept of the old-growth forest is highly debated in the literature because of its implications, from close-to-nature forest management to carbon balance. Studies on old-growth forests have multiplied in the last three decades. Most of these studies have focussed on defining the structural features of old-growth forests of non-Mediterranean forest ecosystems or of specific forest types. In Italy, forest structure since Roman times has been greatly influenced by man. For this reason, the concept of old-growth forest in these ecosystems seems more controversial than at the global level. Nonetheless, in the Mediterranean region, there are persistent forest formations that present a certain level of oldgrowthness. These types of forests have been identified mostly in National Parks. The description of forest structure requires a vast amount of information about several biometric attributes. Consequently, the classification of forests as old growth is very time- and resource-consuming. This research aims to describe and test a proposed methodology to classify and determine the relative oldgrowthness of a series of forest inventory plots. Data from 77 beech forest plots located all across Italy were collected and compared with a virtual reference plot. To compare the forest plots, a set of similarity/dissimilarity indexes were tested. The results obtained show that it is possible to accurately rank the oldgrowthness of forest plots and to screen them to exclude non-old-growth forests. The method described was applied for the first time on a set of plots located in the Italian National Parks to determine a priority list of beech forests where further studies need to be conducted.

Classification of the oldgrowthness of forest inventory plots with dissimilarity metrics in Italian National Parks

Classification of the oldgrowthness of forest inventory plots with dissimilarity metrics in Italian National Parks

Old-growth forests in Italy: towards a first network

Although the forest systems in Italy have been subjected to the influence of human activities ever since thousands of years, some remote areas maintained a high degree of naturalness, representing an important legacy both in terms of resources and biological diversity. In recent decades, the increasing costs of silvicultural practices has led to the concentration of timber exploitation in the most easily accessible zones and, consequently,to the abandonment of several stands. As a result, the interest in woodlands driven by predominantly natural dynamics has been growing considerably.These general observations provided the starting point for the project Old-growth forests in Italian National Parks, which is promoted by the Nature Protection Directorate in collaboration with the Biodiversity, Plant Sociology and Landscape Ecology Interuniversity Research Centre of the Sapienza University of Rome. The first phase of this project was conducted between 2006 and 2009. It was aimed at gathering information on Italian forests with old-growth features, selecting those that satisfy the old-growth forest definition drawn up for the purposes of this project. The selected forests have been mapped,classified according to an old-growth scale and included in a geodatabase that stores structural and vegetation data. Although Italy does not boast forests that have never been touched or have not been disturbed for several centuries, numerous forests with old-growth features were identified and studied. The considerable variety of vegetation types that characterize these forests makes this sample an important starting point for a nationwide Old-growth Forests Network, which may become the object of important monitoring initiatives, taking into account also persistent woodlands.

A multi-year geographic database of fire affected areas derived from satellite images in the National Parks of Italy

A geographic data base of burned areas in Italian National Parks was built using satellite images. Around five hundred ASTER and SPOT images were acquired for the period 2001-2005 and processed with photo-interpretation, multiple thresholds of spectral transforms (NBR and BAI) and Maximum Likelihood. In five years the area burned is more than 5000 ha (fire average size is 7.7 ha) and the most affected Parks are in Southern Italy. Satellite maps were compared with field observations from the Corpo Forestale dello Stato showing that remote sensing and ground based data provide complementary information. Burned area maps are delivered as layers of a Web Map Service (WMS) of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) INSPIRE compilant.

A data envelopment analysis approach to the assessment of natural parks' economic efficiency and sustainability. The case of Italian national parks

AbstractWilderness protection is a growing necessity for modern societies, and this is particularly true for areas where population density is extremely high, for example Europe. Conservation, however, implies very high opportunity costs. It is thus crucial to create incentives for efficient management practices, to promote benchmarking and to improve conservation management. In the present paper we propose a methodology based on data envelopment analysis, DEA, a non‐parametric benchmarking technique specifically developed to assess the relative efficiency of decision‐making units. In particular, the objective of the discussed methodology is to assess the relative efficiency of the management units of the protected area and to indicate how it could be improved, by providing a set of guidelines. The main advantage of this methodology is that it allows us to assess the efficiency of natural park management not only internally (comparing the performance of the park with itself over time) but also by external benchmarking, thus providing new and different perspectives on potential improvements. Although the proposed methodology is fairly general, we have applied it to the context of Italian national parks in order to produce a representative case study. Specifically, the choice of adequate cost and benefit indicators is a very important and delicate phase of any benchmark analysis. For this purpose, a questionnaire was used to investigate the opinions of Italian national park managers and stakeholders and to define the relevant indicators for the analysis. Finally, relevant policy implications for the case study are given. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach to the Assessment of Natural Parks' Economic Efficiency and Sustainability. The Case of Italian National Parks

Wilderness protection is a growing necessity for modern societies, and this is particularly true for areas where population density is extremely high, as for example Europe. Conservation, however, implies very high opportunity costs. It is thus crucial to create incentives to efficient management practices, to promote benchmarking and to improve conservation management. In the present paper we propose a methodology based on Data Envelopment Analysis, DEA, a non parametric benchmarking technique specifically developed to assess the relative efficiency of decision-making units. In particular, the objective of the discussed methodology is to assess the relative efficiency of the management units of the protected area and to indicate how it could be improved, by providing a set of guidelines. The main advantage of this methodology is that it allows to assess the efficiency of natural parks' management not only internally (comparing the performance of the park to itself in time) but also by external benchmarking, thus providing new and different perspectives on potential improvements. Although the proposed methodology is fairly general, we have applied it to the context of Italian National Parks in order to produce a representative case study. Specifically, the choice of adequate cost and benefit indicators is a very important and delicate phase of any benchmark analysis. For this purpose, a questionnaire was used to investigate the opinions of Italian National Parks managers and stakeholders and to define the relevant indicators for the analysis. Finally, relevant policy implications for the case study are given.

Local identity processes and environmental attitudes in land use changes: The case of natural protected areas

The paper concerns pro-environmental attitudes, local identity and place attachment (PA) in the institution of protected natural areas. A theoretical claim is made to frame traditional social psychological research on environmental concern into a “place specific” perspective. Two studies are presented in which pro-environmental attitudes, regional identity (RI) and PA are analysed in two different Italian national parks. In study one ( N=115), local residents (people who live inside the park area) and non-local residents (people who live in the same region but outside the park area) were interviewed by questionnaire. The results showed local groups with negative attitudes toward both general and specific natural protected areas and high degrees of RI and PA and non-local groups with the opposite pattern. In study two ( N=854), the same differences between locals and non-locals were confirmed in a larger sample; also, various subgroups of local residents who differ in terms of their prevalent economic activities and specific interests were compared. Subjects more involved in local economic activities showed more negative attitudes toward natural protected areas (generally and specifically) and higher degrees of RI and place attachment than subjects more involved in ecological and pro-environmental activities. Both theoretical and policymaking implications of these results are discussed.

Nature conservation in Italy: the existing national parks and other protected areas

This paper briefly reviews the present status of the Italian National Parks and other protected areas. Nature conservation is still rather weak in Italy and the likely causes of this are pointed out and discussed. Inadequate boundaries, hostility of park inhabitants, speculation by promoters, insufficient support by the State and by the Regional Governments badly affect all National and Natural Parks. This may depend partly on historical factors and partly on the lack of State interest and public opinion on nature preservation. On the other hand, there are a few signs that this situation is slowly becoming better and the management of the Parks has noticeably improved during the last five years. The activity of associations such as the World Wildlife Fund has been of particular importance in stimulating public opinion and in protecting valuable areas.