Descrizione 1
Mariacecilia Natalia, Michela Gori, Luisa Nazzini
The indicator, referring to the 25 National Parks established as of 08/31/2023, represents the implementation status of Park Plans under Article 12 of Law 394/1991 within the complex process of drafting - adoption - approval by the competent authorities. Compared to 2020, the number of active plans has increased by one unit (Pollino National Park), reaching a total of 12. However, a general delay persists, particularly regarding plans pending approval. Considering the legal timeframe for the entry into force of a Park Plan, all National Parks (NPs) should have had an active plan by now. Instead, an average delay of 21 years in the approval process has been recorded.
The indicator provides information on the implementation status of Park Plans under Article 12 of Law 394/1991 within the complex process of drafting - adoption - approval - entry into force by the competent authorities. Additionally, for each NP, the indicator calculates the delay (number of years) relative to the expected approval date of the respective plan based on the legal timeframe.
To provide a comprehensive national overview onthe implementation status of Park Plans, which serves as the primary tool for Park Authorities to ensure the protection of natural, environmental, historical, cultural, and anthropological values. The presence of a plan is considered a necessary condition for the effective management of a protected area.
Law 394/1991 "Framework Law on Protected Areas" and subsequent amendments.
Legislative Decree 152/2006 and subsequent amendments.
Legislative Decree 01/22/2004.
Article 12 of Law 394/1991, the "Framework Law on Protected Areas," establishes that National Parks must draft a Park Plan within a timeframe of approximately 34 months. Furthermore, under Article 6, Paragraph 2, Letter a) of Legislative Decree 152/2010 and its amendments on "Environmental Regulations," the Park Plan must undergo the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure, following the process outlined in Articles 11-18 and Annex VI of the decree.
Additionally, according to Ministerial Decree 10/17/2007 on "Minimum uniform criteria for defining conservation measures for Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA)," Article 2, Paragraph 2, National Park Plans that include sites from the Natura 2000 Network must incorporate the conservation measures prescribed by current legislation.
In terms of planning hierarchy, under Article 145, Paragraph 3 of Legislative Decree 42/2004 ("Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code") and its amendments, the Park Plan is hierarchically superior to Territorial Coordination Plans and General Regulatory Plans, which must conform to its provisions.
Furthermore, the indicator aligns with the National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 (adopted by Ministerial Decree 252 of 08/03/2023), Strategic Objective A, specific objective A.4, which aims to "effectively manage all protected areas by defining clear objectives and conservation measures and appropriately monitoring their implementation."
Descrizione 2
Corte dei Conti - Determinazione del 14 marzo 2023, n.32 - Determinazione e relazione sul risultato del controllo sulla gestione finanziaria dei 23 Enti Parco Nazionali 2021.
Giacomini V., Romani V., 1982. Uomini e parchi.
Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare - Direzione Generale per la protezione della natura e del mare, 2016. Relazione sullo stato di attuazione della legge n. 394 del 1991 - Anno 2016.
Natalia, M.C., 2014. Paesaggio e Aree Protette, in Trusiani E. (a cura di), 2014. Pianificazione paesaggistica. Questioni e contributi di ricerca.
Settis S., 2012. Paesaggio costituzione cemento. Giulio Einaudi Editore.
The data required to create the indicator is not easily accessible and requires specialized expertise for systematization and interpretation. Although National Park websites include a "Transparent Administration" section with "Planning and Territorial Governance" sub-sections, the information provided is inconsistent and often incomplete. Therefore, additional research is required in sources such as Regional Official Bulletins, Park Authorities' Public Registers, and the Official Gazette.
In future updates of the indicator, the amount of time each Plan takes to complete each stage could be recorded. This is in order to check whether there are one or more stages of the planning process that are more critical than others in terms of timing. This type of information can be useful to administrators and officials of the entities responsible for the processes to prevent deadlocks.
Qualificazione dati
Examination of the documents referred to in the reference sources (Park Authority Bulletin Boards, Regional Official Bulletins, Official Gazette, Reports of the Court of Auditors on the financial management of Park Authorities, National Parks Websites)
Direct inquiries to the technical offices of the Park Authorities
Directory of the status of implementation of park plans in National Parks: http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/banche-dati/repertorio-dello-stato-di-attuazione-dei-piani-per-il-parco-nei-parchi-nazionali
National
1991-2023
Qualificazione indicatore
The analysis of planning implementation status was conducted for the 25 National Parks established as of 08/31/2023. The planning process was divided into phases based on Article 12 of the Framework Law on Protected Areas (Law 394/91), integrated with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure under Legislative Decree 152/2006, as follows:
Phase 0: Establishment of the Park Authority.
Phase 1: Preparation and adoption of the plan, including the drafting of an Environmental Report for SEA-eligible plans.
Phase 2: Public deposit and consultation, during which observations can be submitted.
Phase 3: Approval, in agreement with the regional administration and local municipalities.
Phase 4: Entry into force following publication in the Official Gazette and regional bulletins.
For each National Park, legislative acts were identified and assigned to one of these five phases to create a chronological summary of the planning process. Cases where active plans were updated under Article 12, Paragraph 6 of Law 394/91, which mandates an update every ten years, were also recorded.
To determine delays, the expected entry into force date for each Park Plan was calculated as:
Delay in Plan Implementation = Indicator Update Year - (Park Establishment Year + 3 years)
As of 08/31/2023:
Only 12 out of 25 National Parks have an active plan (Phase 4), with an average approval delay of 14 years.
The remaining 13 Parks are still awaiting plan approval, with an average delay of 21 years.
Specifically:
1 National Park has not initiated any plan drafting.
5 Parks are in Phase 1 (preparation and adoption).
6 Parks are in Phase 2 (public consultation).
1 Park is in Phase 3 (approval).
The time elapsed between the last and the current indicator update is 32 months. Given that the legal timeframe for the entry into force of a Park Plan is 34 months, all Parks should have a valid plan by now. However, this has not happened, confirming a negative trend.
Dati
Tabella 1: Stato di avanzamento della pianificazione nei Parchi Nazionali: quadro sinottico della cronologia dell'iter di approvazione e di aggiornamento del Piano (aggiornamento al 31/08/2023)
Elaborazione ISPRA su provvedimenti nazionali, regionali e degli Enti Parco
L'anno riportato nelle colonne relative alle diverse fasi si riferisce alla data dell'ultimo provvedimento che ha determinato un avanzamento nell'iter di pianificazione
(1) per il P.N. del Gran Paradiso (Ente Parco istituito nel 1947) e per il P.N. d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (Ente Parco ricostituito nel 1950) come anno di inizio dell'iter di Piano è stato assunto il 1991, anno di entrata in vigore della Legge n. 394 "Legge quadro sulle aree protette"
Figura 1: Iter di approvazione del Piano per i Parchi Nazionali (agg. al 31/08/2023)
Elaborazione ISPRA da fonti normative (L. 394/1991; D.Lgs. 152/2006)
Figura 2: Numero di Piani dei Parchi Nazionali in ciascuna fase dell'iter di approvazione e aggiornamento (agg. al 31/08/2023)
Elaborazione ISPRA su provvedimenti nazionali, regionali e degli Enti Parco
Figura 3: Anni di ritardo sull'approvazione del Piano rispetto alla tempistica dettata dalla l. 394/91 ed indicazione della fase dell'iter in cui si trova il Piano (agg. al 31/08/2023)
Elaborazione ISPRA su provvedimenti nazionali, regionali e degli Enti Parco
Il calcolo del ritardo è stato effettuato sulla base delle indicazioni dei commi 4 e 5 dell'art.12 della l.394/91 che stabiliscono, in totale, una tempistica di 34 mesi per l'entrata in vigore del Piano a partire dall'istituzione dell'Ente Parco.
Figura 4: Piani per il Parco: stato dell'iter (agg. al 31/08/2023)
Elaborazione ISPRA su provvedimenti nazionali, regionali e degli Enti Parco
The lack of an active Park Plan is a major shortfall in achieving the objectives behind the establishment of National Parks. Several factors contribute to delays, including understaffing at Park Authorities, incomplete governing bodies, and the complexity of the approval process, which involves multiple public and private stakeholders.
National Parks that cover multiple municipalities or Regions face additional challenges in coordinating their strategic environmental assessments, further delaying the process. Despite legal provisions for government intervention in case of non-compliance (Article 12, Paragraphs 4 and 5 of Law 394/91), these mechanisms remain largely unimplemented.
Thus, having an active Park Plan is a necessary condition for defining clear conservation objectives, managing protected areas effectively, and fulfilling National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 goals.