United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Avenue, Gigiri PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya Fax: (254-20) /90

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1 United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Avenue, Gigiri PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya Fax: (254-20) /90 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 413, Saint Jacques Street, suite 800 Montreal QC H2Y 1N9 Canada fax Edward Norton UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 413, Saint Jacques Street, suite 800 Montreal QC H2Y 1N9 Canada fax UICN Rue Mauverney Gland Switzerland (Fax) UICN European Union Representative Office Boulevard Louis Schmidt 64 Brussels 1040 Brussels Belgium IPCC Secretariat C/O World Meteorological Organization 7bis Avenue de la Paix C.P CH Geneva 2, Switzerland fax : / 13 IPCC-Sec@wmo.int Commissario Europeo all'ambiente Janez Potocnik janez.potocnik@ec.europa.eu

2 Presidente della Commissione Ambiente dell Unione europea. Rue de la Loi n. 200 B Bruxelles Belgium ip-envi@europarl.europa.eu Lucio Battistotti Rappresentanza in Italia della Commissione europea Via IV Novembre 149 I Roma Italia fax: / comm-rep-it-info@ec.europa.eu Segretariato Permanente Convenzione delle Alpi Herzog-Friedrich-Straße Innsbruck Austria fax: info@alpconv.org ALPARC Task Force Espaces Protégés 256, rue de la République F CHAMBERY fax : +33 (0) info@alparc.org E p.c. Ministro dell Ambiente e della tutela del territorio e del mare on. Stefania Prestigiacomo via Cristoforo Colombo, Roma fax Presidente della Camera dei Deputati on. Gianfranco Fini palazzo Montecitorio Roma fini_g@camera.it Presidente del Senato della Repubblica sen. Renato Schifani Piazza Madama Roma schifani_r@posta.senato.it

3 SAVE THE ITALIAN NATURAL PARKS! Italy has a very high biodiversity richness, and it is the country in Europe with the highest number of terrestrial vertebrates and seed plants. A great part of this biodiversity, made up of many endemic species and species of Community importance, lies within protected areas. For this reason, in these areas there is also the highest concentration of Natura 2000 sites (Community laws of reference: Directive 92/43/CEE and Directive 79/409/CEE), that are managed by the Park Authorities (Enti Parco). In some cases, the perimeter of the national parks coincides totally with that of the Natura 2000 sites, and some species of priority Community interest, such as the Apennine Chamois, live exclusively within national parks. Protected areas, as in directive n. 92/43 (...), have an high level of protection that has to be considered as absolute protection ( ) The obligation of the Member States to avoid any initiative able to deteriorate the natural value of these areas, is consequence ( ) of a logical approach of sustainable development and integrated protection, with the aim to realize the objectives of ecological quality that the humanity has arranged for the maintenance of the natural environment also for the future generations. 1. There are 23 Italian National Parks that include about hectares of protected territory and conserve animal species and plant species - about half of Europe s flora. Parks are the main organisations that conserve biodiversity also of Natura 2000 sites and, more in general, protect the environment and culture of the country, while being invaluable laboratories for sustainable development and conservation. They operate on the base of wide-scope objectives established in the national law n With law n.124 of 1994 Italy has put into effect art. 8 (that foresees the institution of a system of protected areas in which to adopt special measures for the conservation of biological diversity in natural habitats) by ratifying the Convention on Biological Diversity, committing itself to develop activities and policies for the management and conservation of fauna, flora and forests and for the sustainable use of territory. T h e National Strategy for Biodiversity adopted in realization of art. 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, has just been approved in Italy and unmistakably identifies protected areas as fundamental and vital instruments for biodiversity 1 See European Union Court of Justice, Sentence 23 April 2009 (law suit C-362/06), note to sentence by L.Cerretani, published in

4 c o n s e r v a t i o n s t r a t e g i e s a n d f o r m a i n t a i n i n g t h e p l a n e t s e c o l o g i c a l processes, and recognises the need to strengthen their role. However, the Italian government has not provided adequate resources for the realisation of such an important document, that risks therefore, to remain a mere declaration of intentions. On 31 May 2010, in fact, decree n.78 was issued with object Urgent measures for financial stabilization and economic competitiveness. This decree became law n. 122 on 30 July Art. 7, comma 24, reads: From the date of coming into effect of the present decree the allocations of State contributions to public agencies, institutions and other bodies are reduced by 50% with respect to the year In order to rationalise and to reorganize the procedures with which the state finances these bodies, the competent Ministers, with decree to be issued within 60 days from the coming into effect of this decree, will decide the repartition of the available resources. National parks are controlled by the Ministry of the Environment and of the Conservation of the Territory and the Sea, and therefore undergo the effects of this regulation. Notwithstanding the parks immediate cry of alarm and the proposal of an amendment to exclude protected areas form the decree, the decree was converted into law last July without including the amendment. The general assembly of Europarc 2010 held on 29 September 2010 in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, closed with an important document ( the Declaration of Pescasseroli, whose title i s : Underselling the environment: budget cuts in the short period - long-term consequences for Europe s biodiversity. Even the President of the Republic, directly consulted by the Presidents of the National parks ( has underlined the importance of a careful evaluation of the fate of National Parks on the part of the competent institutions. Apart from the reduction of funds allocated to National Parks, protected regional areas are also suffering because of budget cuts by the Regions and local environmental authorities. Not even the Public Finance Decision (which should be approved in the Senat in the coming days) seems to be of help in solving the problematic situation of Italian protected areas, as it seems that only the payment of the parks s personnel and some others expense, would be guaranteed.

5 So from 2011 biodiversity conservation in Italy will should be greatly compromised and the results obtained up to now seriously risk to be neutralised, even those of projects already completed, or just started, with substantial EU funding. But it s reductive and misleading to represent the reduction of park authority funding as a mere sectorial issue; ecological problems whose main characteristic is often their complexity - represent one the most serious threats that the world has to face. The undersigned, representing environmental and cultural associations and associations of professionals working in protected areas - even taking into consideration the continuing uncertainty about the funding of the Italian state for the proper functioning of Italian protected area - ask you to evaluate the situation and to intervene with the Italian Parliament to avoid irreparable damage to Italian parks and nature. 4 th december Associazione nazionale personale aree protette AIGAE Associazione italiana guide ambientali escursionistiche AIGAP associazione italiana guardie dei parchi e delle aree protette AMICI DELLA TERRA CTS Centro Turismo Studentesco ISTITUTO PANGEA MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS ITALIA NOSTRA VAS Verdi Ambiente Società ALTURA Associazione Tutela Rapaci Italiani e loro Ambienti contacts: presidente@associazione394.it vicepresidente@associazione394.it