Panel 1
Stefania Ercole (ISPRA), Benedetta Brecciaroli (MASE)
Natura 2000 Network, established under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives (collectively known as the Nature Directives), comprises 2,649 sites in Italy. These cover a total terrestrial area of 5,845,489 hectares, representing 19.4% of the national territory, and a marine area of 2,338,693 hectares, corresponding to 6.5% of national jurisdictional waters (territorial waters and EEZs) (data updated to December 2024).
The Network is essential for implementing the Nature Directives, but it is also a key instrument for achieving the targets set by the European and National Biodiversity Strategies for 2030 (EBS2030 and NBS2030), which call for at least 30% of terrestrial and marine areas to be protected. In addition to the Natura 2000 sites, other protected areas—such as national and regional parks and other designated conservation zones—also contribute to these targets.
This report analyses the regional distribution of the Network both in absolute terms (hectares covered by sites within each region) and as a percentage of total regional area. Across Italian regions and autonomous provinces, the Network shows a heterogeneous distribution, with protected terrestrial and marine areas ranging from 12% (Emilia-Romagna) to 36% (Abruzzo) on land, and from less than 1% (Marche) to 31% (Apulia) at sea.
This response indicator shows the national and regional extent and percentage coverage of the Natura 2000 Network. It reports the number and total area of sites within terrestrial and marine environments. The dataset includes information on the Special Protection Areas (SPAs), established under the Birds Directive, and on the Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), later designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the Habitats Directive.
To assess, at both national and regional levels, the extent of SPAs and SCIs/SACs, and the percentage of terrestrial and marine areas covered by the Natura 2000 Network.
Natura 2000 is an ecological network for biodiversity conservation established throughout the European Union. It consists of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated by Member States under the Birds Directive, and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) identified under the Habitats Directive; the latter are subsequently designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
The legal objective is to ensure a favourable conservation status for the areas included in the Natura 2000 Network, which represent sites of major importance for habitats, plant and animal species, and for overall biodiversity conservation.
The Birds Directive 79/409/EEC, transposed into Italian law by Act No. 157 of 11 February 1992 (later repealed and replaced in full by Directive 2009/147/EC, which maintained its core objectives), aims to protect and manage all wild bird species naturally occurring in European territory, regulating their use and exploitation.
The Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (implemented in Italy through Presidential Decree No. 357/97, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 120/2003) seeks to “safeguard biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora within European territory” (Article 2). To achieve this, it sets out measures to maintain or restore, at a favourable conservation status, the habitats and species of Community interest listed in its annexes.
The designation of SACs, as required by Article 4 of the Habitats Directive and Article 3(2) of Presidential Decree No. 357/97 and subsequent amendments, represents a fundamental step toward the full implementation of the Network. It ensures the definition of site-specific conservation objectives and measures for habitats and species, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and security of the Network’s management. The same principle applies to SPAs.
The Habitats Directive also sets rules for site management and Appropriate Assessment (Article 6), funding mechanisms (Article 8), monitoring and the preparation of national implementation reports (Articles 11 and 17), and possible derogations (Article 16).
The protected areas within the Natura 2000 Network contribute to meeting the European and national biodiversity targets for 2030, which call for at least 30% of terrestrial and 30% of marine areas to be protected. The European Biodiversity Strategy (EBS2030) was adopted by EU Member States in October 2020, while Italy’s National Biodiversity Strategy (NBS2030) was approved in August 2023 through Ministerial Decree No. 252.
Panel 2
This indicator does not assess the implementation level of management tools within Natura 2000 sites (such as management plans or site-specific conservation objectives and measures) and therefore does not evaluate the effectiveness of conservation actions.
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Data quality assessment
https://www. minambiente. it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia
National
Regional 20/20
2003 – 2024
Indicator assessment
Official data published annually by MASE on the number and surface area of Natura 2000 sites, both terrestrial and marine (net area excluding overlaps), are presented through graphs and tables at the national level and for each region and autonomous province.
Since December 2023, MASE has introduced the category “Beyond Territorial Waters” to indicate marine sites located outside national territorial waters. From that point on, the percentage of marine coverage of the Network has been calculated including these offshore areas.
The overall status of the Network can be considered good, given its wide extent: in Italy, 2,649 designated sites protect more than 8.1 million hectares (5,845,489 hectares on land and 2,338,693 hectares at sea). These areas contribute to the 2030 biodiversity targets at both European and national levels, which require the protection of at least 30% of terrestrial and marine areas. Moreover, the ongoing identification by regions and autonomous provinces of site-specific conservation objectives and measures—tailored to the ecological requirements of the species and habitats protected under the Nature Directives—will enhance the effectiveness of site management.
The trend is positive, as the Natura 2000 Network has consistently expanded since 2003, with increases in protected surface area and the designation of new sites (Figures 1 and 2). Since 2017, most of the Network’s growth has occurred in the marine environment, where the protected surface has nearly quadrupled.
Data
Table 1: Natura 2000 Sites by Region/Autonomous Province: total number, total surface area (ha), and percentage coverage on land and at sea, net of overlaps between SCIs/SACs and SPAs (updated to December 2024)
MASE (https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia)
symbol “/” for regions and PA that do not have territory at sea
In 2023, the category “Beyond Territorial Waters” was added to the list of regions and autonomous provinces to indicate marine sites located outside territorial waters.
The area of site IT1201000 (Gran Paradiso National Park), which lies partly in Valle d’Aosta and partly in Piedmont, was allocated proportionally to each region.
Similarly, site IT7110128 (Gran Sasso–Monti della Laga National Park), extending across Abruzzo, Lazio, and Marche, and site IT7120132 (Abruzzo National Park), extending across Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise, were subdivided according to their actual territorial distribution.
For sites IT3230085, IT3230006, and IT3230089, which fall partly within Veneto and partly within Friuli Venezia Giulia, surfaces were attributed to each region according to their respective shares.
Site numbers and areas were calculated excluding overlaps between SCIs/SACs and SPAs.
Figure 1: Number and total annual surface area (terrestrial and marine) of Special Protection Areas (Type A and Type C sites) in Italy (updated to December 2024)
ISPRA, based on MASE data (https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia)
Type C sites (SPAs coinciding with SCIs/SACs) are included. Data for 2015 and 2019 are unavailable.
Figure 2: Number and total annual surface area (terrestrial and marine) of SCIs/SACs (Type B and Type C sites) in Italy (updated to December 2024)
ISPRA, based on MASE data (https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia)
Since 2013, the total number of SCIs and SACs has been reported jointly. Type C sites (SCIs/SACs coinciding with SPAs) are included. Data for 2015 and 2019 are unavailable
Figure 3: Percentage coverage of the Natura 2000 Network on land and at sea for Italy and for each Region/Autonomous Province (% calculated relative to regional territory and waters), net of site overlaps (updated to December 2024).
ISPRA, based on MASE data (https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia)
The chart excludes two sites (17,004 ha, equal to 0.08%) located “beyond territorial waters.”
The area of site IT1201000 (Gran Paradiso National Park) was allocated to Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont according to their respective shares; the same applies to sites IT7110128 (Gran Sasso–Monti della Laga National Park) and IT7120132 (Abruzzo National Park), distributed among relevant regions.
For sites crossing the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia borders (IT3230085, IT3230006, IT3230089), surface areas were assigned according to territorial distribution.
All calculations exclude overlaps between SCIs/SACs and SPAs.
Figure 4: Terrestrial and marine surface area (in hectares) and number of designated Natura 2000 sites for each Region and Autonomous Province (updated to December 2024)
ISPRA, based on MASE data (https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/sic-zsc-e-zps-italia)
The Natura 2000 Network in Italy currently comprises 2,649 sites distributed across terrestrial and marine environments (Table 1). These include:
Type C sites therefore protect both the habitats and species covered by the Habitats Directive and the bird species protected under the Birds Directive.
As of December 2024, the Network includes 842 Type A+C sites and 2,385 Type B+C sites (Figures 1 and 2). In 2023, there were 643 A+C sites and 2,364 B+C sites. Figure 1 shows an increase in Type A+C sites, mainly due to reclassification carried out by several regions during 2024: some sites that were previously designated solely as SPAs or solely as SCIs/SACs were reclassified as Type C (overlapping designations).
Consequently, the total number and overall coverage of SPAs (sum of A and C sites) increased (Figure 1), since most of the newly designated C sites were previously classified as Type B. The surface area of SCIs/SACs (sum of B and C sites) also increased slightly (Figure 2). Overall, however, the national total number of sites increased only marginally between 2023 and 2024, from 2,646 to 2,649.
The Network covers a total net surface of 5,845,489 hectares of terrestrial areas (19.4% of national territory) and 2,338,693 hectares of marine areas (6.5% of national waters) (Table 1). These contribute, along with other protected areas (national and regional parks, and other conservation zones), to achieving the 30% target of the EBS2030 and NBS2030. It should be noted, however, that Natura 2000 sites often overlap, wholly or partially, with other protected areas.
At the regional and provincial level, the Network’s extent varies widely. The regions with the highest terrestrial coverage (percentage of regional territory) are Abruzzo (36%), Valle d’Aosta (30%), the Autonomous Province of Trento (28%), Molise (27%), Campania (27%), and Liguria (26%) (Figure 3, Table 1). For marine areas, Apulia (31%) and Tuscany (29%) show the highest percentages, followed by Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily, and Sardinia (between 16% and 18%).
In absolute terms (hectares covered by sites), four regions show particularly large extents of the Network both on land and at sea:
To fully assess the effectiveness of the Network, it will be crucial in the coming years to analyse the implementation of management tools within sites—particularly the definition of site-specific and species- or habitat-specific conservation objectives and measures developed recently by regions and autonomous provinces.