APENNINE ECOSYSTEM STATUTE

Paeonia-officinalis-GS100613-234

leafART. 1 – Name and headquarters. The Association known as “Apennine Ecosystem” with headquarters in the city of L’Aquila (Italy) is set up according to art. 36 and subsequent of the Italian Civil Code.

leafART. 2 – Statute. The Association is regulated by this statute and acts in respect of the law and the general principles of the legal system.

leafART. 3 – Efficacy, modification and interpretation of the Statute. Association members are bound by this Statute which regulates the conduct and activities of the Association itself. This statute can be modified by resolution of the Assembly adopted in the presence of at least half the members with the majority of those present voting in favour. The statute is interpreted according to the rules governing interpretation of contracts and according to the criteria specified in art. 12 of the general legal provisions established in the preamble to the Civil Code.

leafART. 4 – Aims of the Association. Activities. In respect of the liberty and equality of members and the values of participation, democracy, solidarity and pluralism which it represents, the Association pursues the following non-profit objectives:
1. to guarantee the protection of montane ecosystems and species, with absolute priority over human activities in protected areas (European, national and regional), using the best scientific ecological knowledge;
2. 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;
3. to launch a large-scale ecological restoration programme covering the entire area to improve its resistance and resilience;
4. to promote application of a new model of land management starting from the Apennine area.
These objectives are pursued through cultural and scientific education, the adoption of participatory methods on the above themes, the heightening of awareness of environmental themes and their communication, scientific research in the field of environmental protection, direct management of areas of natural interest, technical-scientific consultancy, legal and judicial protection of the environment, the proposal of administrative standards, regulations and rules on the themes of environmental protection and activities aimed at involving and guiding the institutions and social and economic forces towards legislation, programmes, agreements and projects coherent with the aims expressed in this Statute.
The Association may also perform activities directly associated with and accessory and supplementary to the activities of the institutions.

leafART. 5 – Geographical context. The Association operates principally in the montane areas of the Central Apennines, from the Sibillini to the Matese mountains, in the regions of Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise and Campania.

leafART. 6 – Members. Admission, rights, duties, exclusion. All individuals who share the Association’s aims may become members. Admission to the Association is decided by the Assembly on written request from the applicant. Members joining the Association during the founding assembly are exempted from the obligation of written request. It is the members’ right to elect the Association’s President and Director. It is their right to be informed of the Association’s activities and to verify progress and outcome as established by law and by this Statute. Members provide their services spontaneously and without charge as individuals and without the right to any form of compensation, apart from reimbursement for expenses sustained within the limits established by the Association and legislation. Members must behave in accordance with the principles of solidarity and correctness and in good faith. Members contravening the duties or aims of the Association as established by the Statute may be excluded from the Association. This exclusion is decided by the Assembly with a secret vote and after listening to the justifications of the interested party. Loss of the quality of member for any reason does not imply any rights over the Association’s assets, compensation or payment of any kind.

leafART. 7 – Organs. The Association’s organs consist of the Assembly of Members, President, Director, Treasurer and Scientific Committee. All offices are unpaid.
Assembly of Members: The Assembly formed of the members elects, from among said members, the President and Director and discusses and decides the Association’s activities, with a majority of votes from those present. It is chaired by the President or his/her delegate. It normally meets once every four months with an annual assembly at least once a year. The Assembly is called by the President or by two thirds of members, with written notice, including by e-mail, containing the agenda, at least seven days before the date proposed for the meeting. The Assembly is considered as constituted whatever the number of members present. Mandates are not accepted. The decisions of the Assembly are summarised in minutes signed by the Director. The minutes are kept at the Association’s headquarters and may be consulted by all members who may obtain a copy. On the indication of the President, the Assembly appoints the Director and Treasurer.
President: The President represents the Association, may speak in its name and perform all the actions involved in the Association’s activities according to the Assembly’s decisions. The President is elected from among members of the Association by the Assembly during its annual meeting by majority vote of those present. If the President resigns, the Director must call an Assembly to appoint a new President as quickly as possible. The office lasts three years. At least one month before the end of his/her mandate, the President calls the annual meeting of the Assembly. If the President does not do so, the Assembly may be called by the Director or at least half the members. If the President is unable temporarily to act, the Director may provisionally replace him/her in his/her functions.
Director: In collaboration and in accordance with the instructions of the President, the Director is in charge of all the day-to-day activities of the Association. The President is elected from among members of the Association by the Assembly during its annual meeting by majority vote of those present. If the Director resigns, the President must call an Assembly to appoint a new Director as quickly as possible. The office lasts one year. At least one month before the end of his/her mandate, the President calls the Annual Meeting of the Assembly. If the President does not do so, the Assembly may be called by at least half the members.

leafART. 8 – Scientific committee. The Association avails itself of a Scientific Committee consisting of academics involved in ecological research and nature conservation, willing to share their scientific knowledge in the pursuit of the Association’s institutional aims. After their acceptance following proposal by the Director, Committee members are approved by the Assembly. The Director keeps Committee members constantly up-to-date on the Association’s activities and requests their scientific opinion on the most significant issues. Committee members may not act on behalf of the Association.

leafART. 9 – Duration. The Association is established until 2030. The Assembly may extend this duration or give its consent, including tacitly, to its continuation indefinitely.

leafART. 10 – Dissolution. Dissolution of the Association is decided by the Assembly with a majority of two thirds of members with a right to vote who will appoint one or more liquidators.

leafART. 11 – All matters not covered by this statute, considered in force immediately after its approval by the Assembly, are governed by current legislation.