Descrizione 1
Stefania Ercole
The Italian wetlands currently included in the official list of sites under the Ramsar Convention are 57, covering a total of 72,288 hectares. Additionally, three Ministerial Decrees were issued in 2011, 2013, and 2016 for the establishment of nine more areas. In total, the 66 Italian Ramsar sites (57 designated and 9 in the process of designation) are distributed across 15 regions, covering 79,826 hectares. The regions with the largest and most numerous areas are Emilia-Romagna (10 areas, 23,112 ha), Tuscany (11 areas, 19,306 ha), and Sardinia (9 areas, 13,308 ha).
The level of implementation of protection and management measures for these areas is not sufficiently known, despite being essential to ensure the conservation of habitats, flora, and fauna.
Response indicator that shows the number and extent of areas classified as Wetlands of International Importance under the principles of the Ramsar Convention, their distribution across Italian territory, as well as the temporal trend of the cumulative number and area of Ramsar sites designated since 1976, the year Italy joined the Convention, up to 2021.
To assess the distribution and coverage of Italian Ramsar sites and the level of implementation of the Convention in Italy.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, signed on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar (Iran) during the International Conference on Wetland Conservation and Waterfowl, aims to protect wetlands internationally through their identification and delineation, the study of their characteristics (particularly avifauna), and the implementation of conservation programs for habitats, flora, and fauna.
The Convention covers a wide variety of wetlands, including:
Marshes, swamps, peatlands
Natural or artificial water basins, both permanent and temporary
Still or flowing water bodies, either fresh, brackish, or saline
Marine areas up to six meters deep at low tide
Coastal, riverine, or marine zones adjacent to wetlands
Islands or marine areas deeper than six meters at low tide, when ecologically relevant to wetland-dependent waterbirds
The Ramsar Convention was ratified and made legally binding in Italy with Presidential Decree No. 448 (March 13, 1976) and later with Presidential Decree No. 184 (February 11, 1987).
Implementation Measures
In addition to participating in international joint activities under the Convention, Italy has committed to several national obligations, including:
Identification and designation of new wetlands under DPR No. 448/1976
Monitoring and research activities in designated wetlands
Preparation of a National Report for each Conference of the Parties
Development of management models for wetlands
Current Global Status: as of today, 172 countries have signed the Ramsar Convention, and a total of 2,455 Ramsar sites have been designated worldwide, covering 255,897,678 hectares (Source: Ramsar.org, last accessed September 2022).
Descrizione 2
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The indicator provides only quantitative information, without assessing the effectiveness of protection and management measures or the environmental conditions in Ramsar sites.
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Qualificazione dati
https://www.mite.gov.it/pagina/zone-umide-di-importanza-internazionale-ai-sensi-della-convenzione-di-ramsar#1 https://www.ramsar.org/
National, Regional (20/20)
1976-2021
Qualificazione indicatore
Data are organized into tables and processed using Excel software.
The status is not definable, as despite the fact that 66 Ramsar sites have been designated in Italy (either officially designated or awaiting official designation), covering a total of 79,826 hectares, the actual level of implementation of protection and management measures for these areas remains partially unknown.
The Ramsar Convention was ratified and made effective in Italy with Presidential Decree of March 13, 1976, and in the same year, 18 areas were designated in the country (Table 1) with a total surface area of 12,319 hectares.
Over the years, both the number and surface area of these sites have significantly increased, rising from 13,182 hectares in 1978 to over 55,381 hectares in 1991, with the number of areas more than doubling (from 20 to 46) (Figure 1). This value remained unchanged for several years until 2005, then increased more slowly from 2006 onwards, growing from 58,040 hectares (50 areas) in 2006 to 61,153 hectares in 2021 (57 areas currently officially designated).
For about a decade, 9 areas, already identified by Ministerial Decrees in 2011, 2013, and 2016, have been awaiting the conclusion of the long process of international recognition.
Dati
Tabella 1: Elenco delle 66 Zone Umide italiane di importanza internazionale ai sensi della Convenzione di Ramsar, ordinate per data di designazione. Sono elencatele 57 zone già istituite e le 9 in corso di designazione da parte del Segretariato della Convenzione (agg. dic. 2021)
Elaborazione ISPRA su dati MITE
Superfici tratte dai RIS (Ramsar Information Sheet) e/o dalla Gazzetta Ufficiale. Per i siti 58-66, in via di istituzione da parte del Segretariato della Convenzione, sono riportati a titolo informativo le date dei decreti italiani di designazione.
Tabella 2: Numero e superficie nelle Regioni italiane delle Zone Umide italiane di importanza internazionale ai sensi della Convenzione di Ramsar, designate e in corso di designazione (agg. dic. 2021)
Elaborazione ISPRA su dati MITE
Figura 1: Numero e superficie delle Zone Ramsar italiane istituite dal Segretariato della Convenzione (Dicembre 2021)
Elaborazione ISPRA su dati MiTE
Figura 2: Ripartizione di numero e superficie delle 66 Zone Ramsar italiane nelle regioni (Dicembre 2021)
Elaborazione ISPRA su dati MiTE
Figura 3: Distribuzione sul territorio delle 66 Zone Ramsar italiane (Dicembre 2021)
Elaborazione ISPRA su dati MiTE
1 Pian di Spagna - Lago di Mezzola; 2 Vincheto di Cellarda; 3 Sacca di Bellocchio; 4 Valle Santa; 5 Punte Alberete; 6 Palude di Colfiorito; 7 Palude di Bolgheri; 8 Laguna di Orbetello; 9 Lago di Burano; 10 Lago di Nazzano; 11 Lago di Fogliano; 12 Lago dei Monaci; 13 Lago di Caprolace; 14 Lago di Sabaudia; 15 Lago di Barrea; 16 Stagno di S'Ena Arrubia; 17 Stagno di Molentargius; 18 Stagno di Cagliari; 19 Le Cesine; 20 Valle Cavanata; 21 Stagno di Cábras; 22 Stagno di Corru S'Ittiri, Stagni di San Giovanni e Marceddì; 23 Stagno di Pauli Maiori; 24 Valle Campotto e Bassarone; 25 Laguna di Marano: Foci dello Stella; 26 Saline di Margherita di Savoia; 27 Lago di Tovel; 28 Torre Guaceto; 29 Valle di Gorino; 30 Valle Bertuzzi; 31 Valli residue del comprensorio di Comacchio; 32 Piallassa della Baiona e Risega; 33 Ortazzo e Ortazzino; 34 Saline di Cervia; 35 Stagno di Sale Porcus; 36 Stagno di Mistras; 37 Valli del Mincio; 38 Torbiere d'Iseo; 39 Palude Brabbia; 40 Palude di Ostiglia; 41 Biviere di Gela; 42 Laguna di Venezia: Valle Averto; 43 Vendicari; 44 Isola Boscone; 45 Bacino dell'Angitola; 46 Palude della Diaccia Botrona; 47 Lago di San Giuliano; 48 Oasi di Castelvolturno o Variconi; 49 Oasi del Sele-Serre Persano; 50 Pantano di Pignola; 51 Lagustelli di Percile; 52 Palude del Brusà - Le Vallette; 53 Padule della Trappola - Foce dell'Ombrone; 54 Lago e padule di Massaciuccoli; 55 Palude del Busatello; 56 Saline di Trapani e Paceco; 57 Foce del Rio Posada; 58 Paludi Costiere di Capo Feto, Margi Spanò, Margi Nespolilla e Margi Milo; 59 Laghi di Murana, Preola e Gorghi Tondi; 60 Stagno Pantano Leone; 61 Ex lago e Palude di Bientina; 62 Lago di Sibolla; 63 Padule di Fucecchio; 64 Padule Orti-Bottagone; 65 Padule di Scarlino; 66 Foce dell’Isonzo - Isola della Cona.
The wetlands of international importance currently included in the official list of Ramsar Convention sites for Italy amount to 57, distributed across 15 regions, covering a total of 72,288 hectares.
Table 1 provides the complete list of sites, arranged in chronological order of designation from 1976 to 2021, including an additional 9 sites identified by Ministerial Decrees in 2011, 2013, and 2016 (located in Sicily, Tuscany, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), which are currently awaiting official designation by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.
Overall, the 66 Ramsar sites (both officially designated and pending designation) cover 79,826 hectares (Table 2).
For each site, the founding decrees and the official technical data sheet required by the Convention (RIS – Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands) are available for download on the MiTE website (https://www.mite.gov.it/pagina/elenco-delle-zone-umide), providing all relevant information.
The regions with the largest and most numerous Ramsar areas are Emilia-Romagna, with 10 areas (23,112 ha), Tuscany, with 11 areas (19,306 ha), and Sardinia, with 9 areas (13,308 ha), while five regions do not currently have any Ramsar sites (Figure 2 and Table 2).
It is also interesting to observe the distribution of these wetlands across Italy in Figure 3, which highlights the territories most affected by the presence of these protected wetland areas.