Ecological Functions, Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation

The Italian strategy for biodiversity underlines the necessity to integrate nature conservation policies with the active participation of stakeholders and of the government at any level. Moreover, there is a need to combine ecology and economy in a framework where natural conservation is an added value of social and economic development. Policies based on ecosystem services (ESs) and sustainable activities are able to reduce the marginalization of the local productions and to improve new economies fitted on the local resources. In this framework, the park’s role is not only linked to the natural conservation aims but it is becoming critical for an innovative development, based on the huge nature role for the overall collective wealth. The Natural Capital value includes all benefits provided by nature to ecosystems and human habitats. It is a new concept that has to be considered developing green economy. Biodiversity and ecosystem status are critical to underpin the landscape resilience and to adapt the territorial systems to climate change. It is urgent to develop a policy framework that recognizes the interdependence of climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem service and that implements concrete actions at any levels: global, national, and regional, based on the quality improvement of ecosystems and the ESs. Suitable indicators assessing the ecological quality of a landscape and the policy effectiveness should support the policy framework provided in order to restore ecological function to the overall system.