Primary objectives:

To overturn the current land management model based on the concept of protected “reserves” in a wider and poorly managed geographical context, in favour of a new rational integrated model covering the entire territory. To then extend the land management model applied to the protected areas (European, national and regional) to the territory as a whole, applying the best scientific ecological knowledge, basic biodiversity knowledge, measures specified in the “National Biodiversity Strategy” (“Strategia Nazionale sulla Biodiversità”, adopted officially by the Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea, in agreement with the State-Regions Conference, on 7 October 2010, http://www. minambiente. it/pagina/strategia-nazionale-la-biodiversita) and the contents of the “National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change” (“Strategia Nazionale di Adattamento ai Cambiamenti Climatici, adopted officially by the Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea, in agreement with the State-Regions Conference, on 30 October 2014, http://www. minambiente. it/pagina/adattamento-ai-cambiamenti-climatici-0). The territory must be completely restructured, with priority to restoring environmental balance and reorganising land use, adopting the network of current protected areas as a system around which to extend the area managed with rational criteria.

To launch a large-scale ecological restoration programme covering the entire area to improve its resistance and resilience (including with regard to policies for adaptation to climate change impacts). Ecosystems can only adapt to climate change if the health and vitality of the natural systems is improved and preserved. Only healthy vital natural systems can contribute to climate change adaptation and represent the essential basis for the well-being of human systems. When the natural systems are degraded and vulnerable, the capacity of our social systems to react is also considerably reduced. Before adopting any technological or infrastructural approach as a reaction to climate change, this means above all safeguarding our natural heritage and managing it correctly, “reconnecting” it with ecological restoration measures and creating a system of ecological networks able to favour the resistance and resilience capabilities of the natural systems. Only one “major public work” is necessary – the environmental restoration of the entire area. This would make the territory less vulnerable to climate change and reinforce our ability to resist.