Mountain Partnership

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Italy

Mountains occupy 54% of Italy, and as a result mountain-related issues are a priority for the country. The Alps and Appenines are high-risk areas from the point of view of environment and hydro-geology, but also in terms of declining populations and the loss of traditions and cultural identity. The south of the country faces problems of depopulation and the onset of desertification due to territorial mismanagement.

Italy has long been engaged in sustainable mountain development, and the International Year of Mountains in 2002 gave impetus to new and existing projects and activities.

Signing of the Apennines Convention
The Italian Apennine mountain range has been endowed with a new protection and management instrument following the signing of the Apennines Convention at the political level. The Convention was signed in the city of L'Aquila in March 2006 by representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, the 15 regions concerned, local authorities including Mountain Partnership member Unione Nazionale Comuni Comunità Enti Montani  (UNCEM), the Italian Association of Nature Parks, and the Legambiente environmental organization. According to its initiators, the Apennines Convention is the first convention worldwide to focus fully on the role of protected areas. Read the Apennines Convention (in Italian) here. To learn more about parks and protected areas in Italy, visit the ‘Parks.it’ Web site (in Italian, English, French and German).

The Mountain Partnership is supported by a Secretariat, which is hosted by the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and financed through contributions from the governments of Italy and Switzerland. top