Italy - Country Profile

Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

The Italian Ministry of Environment, Directorate for Nature Protection, published in 2005 a report written by more than 100 researchers and experts (botanist, zoologist, forestry, etc.) concerning the status and trends of Biodiversity in Italy, which presents an up-to-date scenario of national knowledge on biodiversity... More »

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

In Italy, there are 774 protected areas: 23 national parks, 22 marine natural reserves, 146 state natural reserves, 2 archaeological submerged museums, 1 international marine sanctuary for cetaceans protection, 105 regional parks, 335 regional natural reserves, 141 other protected areas.

The total land surface of protected areas amounts to 2... More »

Percentage of Forest Cover

The surface cover of forests in Italy is estimated at 10.673.589 ha and results as being on the increase. Thirty-five percent of the Italian territory is currently covered by forests. The rate of increase was 0.3% per year in the decade 1990-2000, compared to European average of 0.1%. Thirty-two percent of Italian forest formations come within the Alpine biogeographical region, 16% in the continent biogeographical region and 52% in the Mediterranean region... More »

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Italy's commitment in relation to the CBD was put into effect through Law No. 124 of 14 February 1994, which ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity. Upon ratification of the Convention, the document entitled "Strategies and Preliminary Programme to Implement the Convention on Biodiversity in Italy" was drawn up, and then approved by the CIPE (Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning) on 16 March 1994... More »

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

Italy, as a EU member state, is contributing to implement at regional and national level the “EU Action Plan to 2010 and beyond” annex I to EU Council conclusions “Halting the loss of Biodiversity by 2010”, adopted in December 2006.

Furthermore, Italy has been the first Party to commit as a Government at the IUCN/CE initiative called “COUNTDOWN 2010” (www... More »

Initiatives in Protected Areas

Italy, according to its national policy on natural protected areas, has actively supported, since COP7, the approval of the CBD program of work on protected areas, offering to host the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Protected Areas (AHOEWG-PA1 - Montecatini 13-17 June 2005) and happily welcomes the decision of the CBD secretariat to hold the second meeting of this working group in Rome, at the FAO premises, in February 2008... More »

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

The Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, Directorate for Nature Protection promotes a great number of initiatives to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity resources especially within the national network of Natural Protected Areas. With regard to the implementation principles of environmental policy, and specifically to the measures in Law n... More »

National Contacts

Full details of national contacts »

Convention on Biological Diversity

Mr. Renato Grimaldi	CBD Primary NFP
Ms. Giovanna Piccarreta	CBD Secondary NFP
Mrs. Nicoletta Tartaglini	GSPC NFP
Mr. Eugenio Duprè	CHM NFP, GTI NFP
Mr. Alessandro La Posta	SBSTTA NFP, ABS Competent National Authorities
Mr. Sergio Salandri	ICNP ABS NFP (ONLY)
Mr. Diego Martino	Protected Areas NFP

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Mr. Renato Grimaldi	Cartagena Protocol Primary NFP
Mrs. Marina Andreella	BCH NFP