The Italian network of MAB areas
The first Biosphere Reserves in Italy date back to the late 1970s and only included conservation-oriented territories. In fact, it was always protected areas, National Park, Regional or State Reserves, that started the application process to witness the importance of biodiversity conservation activities.
Over the years, the number of Biosphere Reserves has increased, above all as a result of the adoption of the Seville Strategy, which gave a strong impulse to this recognition, having also partly changed the very concept of Biosphere Reserves by turning them into laboratories for sustainable development.
Nevertheless, it was since the creation of the National Technical Committee in 2011 that the main increase in the number of designated territories took place.
The Italian network of MAB areas now includes (updated to 2024) 21 Biosphere Reserves:
- Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo (Molise) 1977 (Opens in new tab)
- Circeo (Lazio) 1977 (Opens in new tab)
- Miramare (Friuli Venezia Giulia) 1979 (Opens in new tab)
- Cilento e Vallo di Diano (Campania) 1997 (Opens in new tab)
- Somma-Vesuvio e Miglio d'Oro (Campania) 1997 (Opens in new tab)
- Ticino, Val Grande Verbano (Lombardia/Piemonte) prima designazione nel 2002 come Valle del Ticino, estensione nel 2018 (Opens in new tab)
- Isole di Toscana (Toscana) 2003 (Opens in new tab)
- Selve costiere di Toscana (Toscana) 2004 (Opens in new tab)
- Monviso (Piemonte) 2013 (Opens in new tab)
- Sila (Calabria) 2014 (Opens in new tab)
- Appennino Tosco-Emiliano (Toscana - Emilia - Liguria) prima designazione nel 2015 comprendente Toscana ed Emilia, estensione alla Liguria nel 2021 (Opens in new tab)
- Alpi Ledrensi e Judicaria (Trentino-Alto Adige) 2015 (Opens in new tab)
- Delta del Po (Emilia Romagna - Veneto) 2015 (Opens in new tab)
- Collina Po (Piemonte) 2016 (Opens in new tab)
- Tepilora, Rio Posada e Montalbo (Sardegna) 2017 (Opens in new tab)
- Valle Camonica-Alto Sebino (2018) (Opens in new tab)
- Monte Peglia (2018) (Opens in new tab)
- Po Grande (Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Veneto) 2019 (Opens in new tab)
- Alpi Giulie (Friuli Venezia Giulia) 2019 (Opens in new tab)
- Monte Grappa 2021 (Opens in new tab)
- Colli Euganei (Veneto) 2024 (Opens in new tab)