"We are Nature. Rethink, reconnect and restore": this is the slogan of the European Day of Parks promoted by the Europarc Federation and which is celebrated on 24 May.
In Italy, the Day of Parks takes place in the name of the hundred years of the Italian system of protected areas, with the two oldest national parks - Gran Paradiso and Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise - which recently celebrated, with Federparchi, the century of activities.
In Italy there are 24 National Parks, 135 Regional Parks, 147 State Natural Reserves, 30 Marine Protected Areas, about four hundred Regional Reserves, as well as a vast network of protected sites, most of which are part of the Natura2000 Network.
Overall we have 21% of the protected territory.
"The number of protected areas in Italy - says the president of Federparchi Giampiero Sammuri - has grown exponentially over the last 50 years. Also calculating the areas of the Natura 2000 network (many of which are outside the protected areas) today we reach 21% of protected territory on land and 16% at sea. An important extension, but Europe shows us the objective of 30% of protected territory both on land and at sea to be reached by 2030. This means increasing by approximately half the protected area on land and almost double that at sea, a considerable effort that must be faced ".
The European Day of Parks was established to commemorate the day of the foundation of the first European national parks, born in Sweden in 1909. The list of the appointments of the Italian protected areas for the European Day of Parks is visible on the portal www.Parks.it .
