Activities and Projects

The Park territory features wildlands, nature reserves and environmental protection oasis created in different periods in the past, which formed an extraordinary area for the protection of the species and the mountain ecosystem. Besides, for its own geo-morphological, faunistic, floristic and vegetable features, Majella complex hosts several species of peculiar biogeographic meaning, and it is the most southern field in Europe preserving its “alpine” floral and faunal features, being this way of keen scientific interest. In the past, this area has been strongly exploited by man as pasture land, for its woods and small farming activities. Because of the progressive defection of these activities, the human presence in the Majella mountains decreased reaching a lowest level in the Seventies, and then gradually increasing thanks to tourism-related activities.

The Park offers three class of values to safeguard and manage: first of all animals and plants, the most precious natural priorities for which the Park is second to none in Italy; secondly, the mountain landscape, large, difficult, made of high peaks for the mountain climbers, of caves for the spelaeologists, huge forests and snow available for a responsible practice of winter sports, crossing pathways and access roads. Finally, the human presence and its historical evidences, also through some commercial activities still alive and completely fitted with environmental conservation.

According to international standards (“Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories” – IUCN, 1994), the Majella National Park, in the role of National Park, falls under 2nd class which has the following management tasks: protect natural areas of great importance in Italy and worldwide; preserve typical examples of physiographic areas, biotic communities, genetic resources and species, maintaining them as much as possible in the original condition, in order to ensure balance and biological diversity. Manage the fruition of the Park for educational, cultural and recreational purposes, keeping the area in the natural or semi-natural state; eliminate and prevent the area exploitations or occupancies that could come into conflict with fundamental principles of the Park. Respect the ecological, geomorphological, cultural and aesthetic features which motivated the Park foundation; care for the local communities needs including those related to a suitable usage of resources, according to the other management goals.

At national level, the Majella Compound has been classified as National Park, namely as one of those “…terrestrial, river, lake or seaside areas which contain one or many intact ecosystems or even partially altered by anthropized interventions, one or many physical, geological, geomorphological or biological formations, of national or international relevance thanks to naturalistic, scientific, aesthetic, cultural, educational and recreational values, such as to demand State intervention for preserving it to the current generations and those to come”. As stated by the Art. N°2, Paragraph N°1, General Policy Law about Conservation Areas (394/91).

Hence, the Majella National Park plays a leading role for the preservation of habitats and species for the current generations and those to come. This task is carried out through the scientific research, the environmental education and sustainable tourism, and finally a management policy able to balance the safeguard needs with the human activities and to suggest social and economic development models compatible with the natural, historic and cultural values inside this area.