Efforts to protect Italy's myriad plants, animals and ecosystems will receive a boost under a new plan to protect national biodiversity.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (APAT) have joined forces to draft the country's first project to preserve biodiversity.
"Despite illegal building, pollution and lobbying by hunters, we are working with APAT to defend the magical mosaic shaped by our flora and fauna," said the head of WWF Italia, Fulco Pratesi.
Preparations for the plan were unveiled during the first of a series of conferences on biodiversity conservation, organized by APAT, an environment ministry body.
The plan will be drawn up in detail over coming months, following consultations with various experts and interested organizations, said APAT Director Giancarlo Vigliome.
The initial focus of the project will be on two key "eco-regions", as WWF has dubbed them, the Alps and the Mediterranean.
Part of the WWF's network of 200 eco-regions around the world, these are ecologically homogenous areas with particularly rich and varied ecosystems in need of special protection.
The Alps are among the last surviving natural areas in central Europe, home to 13,000 plants and 30,000 animals, including the brown bear, the lynx and communities of wolves.
The Mediterranean hosts 25,000 plants, 62 species of amphibians and 179 kinds of reptiles, according to the WWF.
Individuals and organizations from different countries are involved in initiatives to preserve biodiversity in each eco-region, working together through the WWF to protect areas that cross several international borders.
Groups from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France are also working on the Alps project, while Italy's Mediterranean scheme is just one of 20 targeting the world's largest enclosed sea.
A variety of factors threaten biodiversity in these regions, including the destruction of natural habitats, the illegal trafficking of protected species, poaching and climate change, said the WWF.
The plan will focus on fighting the consumption of soil and resources, analysing the impact of human activities and drafting alternative development models.
"We have to realize that the decisions we make now will inevitably shape our future," said WWF Italia's scientific director, Gianfranco Bologna.
APAT's most recent report on the state of Italy's environmental health expressed strong concerns over its biodiversity, warning that an "emergency" was developing.
Over 45% of Italy's vertebrates are threatened, 40% of its plants and 30% of its natural environments, said the annual report, which was published in December 2006.
The document suggested that human activity was the biggest threat to Italy's wildlife and it particularly highlighted the spread of hunting and overfishing.
