PROGRAMME

Protected areas today cover about 17% of the territory. They aim to preserving environmental quality, ecosystem balance and biodiversity. Although in Italy protected areas are around 10%, in Campania it’s very high and is about 25%. In the last 10 years the number of protected sites has increased by 42% worldwide. Today the general approach to safeguarding is strongly conservative. Due to phenomena such as climate change, deforestation and urbanization, it has emerged that crystallizing the environmental state is impossible. Targeted and effective policies are necessary from the systemic perspective introduced with the Natura 2000 network. Environmental protection must be active to enable sustainable development, to respect the environment and to enhance strategic sectors such as agriculture, tourism and sport. This paper illustrates the sustainable development strategies for the management of protected areas to control environmental pressures and enhance natural ecosystems and biodiversity. The case study of the Monti Lattari Regional Park in southern Italy will be examined. It is characterized by a vast and complex territory that includes mountain and sea areas of high environmental and landscape value. This protected site is interesting to analyze because recently actions for the environmental safeguard have been taken.