Designated terrestrial protected areas

In 2023, the national terrestrial protected surface area (including Common Database on Designated Areas and Natura 2000 sites, net of overlap) was 6.5 million ha, which represented 21.7% of the Italian territory. In Italy, despite the increase in protected areas since 1991 (when the Framework Law on Protected Areas was approved), the national percentage of the terrestrial protected surface has plateaued since 2011. To achieve the 30% objective by 2030, there is a gap of around 8% in the national terrestrial surface (approximately 2.5 million ha). When the new official list of protected areas is approved, an increase in the protected surface will probably be noted because many areas have already been designated by regional administrations. The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security has also started an enquiry into the establishment of new national parks. The inclusion of these new protected areas should lead to around 22% of Italy’s territory being classified as protected areas. Therefore, more effort from the government will be necessary to reach the EU objective of 30%, including through the inclusion of other effective area-based conservation measures, such as protected area buffer zones or ecological networks that are governed and managed in order to achieve in situ biodiversity conservation objectives.