Other Protected Areas

What the Region does

Regarding other protected areas, the Region:

• identifies the areas where to establish Natural and Semi-natural Protected Landscapes and Ecological Rebalancing Areas (ARE) (foreseen by Regional Law 6/2005) among the proposals submitted by the local authorities, and by the Parks and Biodiversity Management Bodies;
• indicates which areas to design under the regional  Programme for the Regional System of Protected Areas and  Natura 2000 network sites;
• entrusts the management to the involved Provinces that can delegate it to the Management  Bodies for Parks and Biodiversity, to Municipalities, to the Unions of Municipalities and to other associative forms foreseen by regional law 21/2001 or though ad hoc agreements;
• provides funds for the interventions in these areas through investment programmes.

The natural and semi-natural protected landscapes are "areas with the presence of widespread landscape values, also of relevant extent, characterized by a balanced interaction of natural elements and traditional human activities, and where the presence of habitats and species in a good conservation status, is predominant or of priority importance for the purposes of nature and biodiversity protection". Currently there are 4 natural and semi-natural protected landscapes in the region.

Ecological Rebalancing Areas (ARE) are "areas of limited size, natural or in process of naturalization, located in territorial frameworks characterized by intense human activities, that, due to their function of living environment and shelter for plant and animal species, are organized in order to ensure their preservation, restoration, reconstitution".
Currently there are 33 Ecological Rebalancing Areas.
They are areas that can be improved towards the naturalness by facilitating the restoration and reconstruction; e.g. they can be former quarries basins, such as the ARE La Bora in San Giovanni in Persiceto (BO), the ARE Basins of Conselice and the ARE Roman Villa of Russi (RA) or they can be former landfills, such as the ARE Via Dugaro in Rolo (RE).

The Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, is the first global environmental treaty and focuses on a particular ecosystem: the wetlands.
In our region the Ramsar Areas are 10, falling within established protected areas.