Il ruolo delle aree protette per la resilienza del territorio: le aree interne dell’Appennino centrale

Protected areas cover a significant extent of the inland areas in the Apennine Mountains of Central Italy. They provide important ecosystem services that are crucial to increase the resilience of the whole macro-region. In particular, the so-called regulating services can counteract natural hazards, lowering the risk of disasters and enhancing therefore the level of security and the quality of life of local communities. In this respect, the highest performances are given by multi-species forest ecosystems with a complex structure, namely, by high and multi-plane old forests. These are slowly but increasingly growing in the Italian central Apennines, also due to the abandonment of traditional rural activities such as mountain farming and animal husbandry. Their protection and enhancement should be the main goal of a careful management of the forest resources, both inside and outside the protected areas.