Management organizations

The caves and karst phenomena enclosed in the seven areas that make up the site are officially recognized as having universal value for their unique characteristics and representativeness of the geological and geomorphological evolution of the Earth. A serial site composed of seven areas in the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Rimini, and Ravenna:

• Alta Valle Secchia (National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines)
• Bassa Collina Reggiana (Protected Landscape of the Reggiana Hills)
• Gessi di Zola Predosa (Natura 2000 site)
• Gessi Bolognesi (Regional Park of the Bolognese Gypsum and Calanchi dell’Abbadessa)
• Vena del Gesso Romagnola (Regional Park of the Romagnola Gypsum Vein)
• Evaporites of San Leo (Natura 2000 site)
• Gessi della Romagna Orientale (Regional Natural Reserve of Onferno).

The current governance system consists of two main administrative authorities: the National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (c.s.1) and the Emilia-Romagna Region (c.s.2-7). The National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines is directly supervised by the Italian Ministry for Ecological Transition. The component sites 2 - 7 are under the control of the Emilia-Romagna Region, which directly supervises the management authorities of the regional protected areas. These management authorities (called Management Authorities for the Parks and Biodiversity of Central Emilia, Eastern Emilia, and Romagna) are also responsible for implementing specific conservation measures for the Natura 2000 sites within their jurisdiction. Each management authority has a management plan, a specific budget, and dedicated staff (technical and administrative) to manage and control their respective areas. Additionally, the National Park is the coordinator of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, which entirely includes c.s.1 and part of c.s.2 of the candidate serial property.

The following table summarizes the current management structure of the candidate serial property, linking the management authorities to the respective protected areas. In the two columns on the left, the management authorities are listed; in the two columns on the right, the component sites and the corresponding protected areas.