Italian Institute for Environmental
Protection and Research

Search
European Parks Day

European Parks Day

Parks and protected areas constitute a unique and precious heritage to experience and protect. Every year on 24 May, European Parks Day is celebrated and the initiative of the European Parks Federation (EUROPARC) is renewed to remember the day on which, in 1909, the first national park in Europe was established in Sweden. In Italy the first parks were created in 1922: the Gran Paradiso and the Abruzzo Park, which later became the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park.

  • European Parks Day
  • 2024-05-24T00:00:00+02:00
  • 2024-05-24T23:59:59+02:00
  • Parks and protected areas constitute a unique and precious heritage to experience and protect. Every year on 24 May, European Parks Day is celebrated and the initiative of the European Parks Federation (EUROPARC) is renewed to remember the day on which, in 1909, the first national park in Europe was established in Sweden. In Italy the first parks were created in 1922: the Gran Paradiso and the Abruzzo Park, which later became the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park.
  • When May 24, 2024 (Europe/Berlin / UTC200)
  • Add event to calendar iCal

"Together for Nature" is the theme chosen for the Day 2024 and represents an invitation to all subjects in the field to work and cooperate for the protection of biodiversity, to combat climate change and for sustainable development "giving life to choices for the future" so that they become concrete actions.

EcoAtlante Rete Natura 2000 e Aree naturali protette

Environmental Indicators Data base

Aree protette terrestri

In Italy, to date, 843 protected areas on land (and on land with part at sea) have been established for a protected area of ​​over 3 million hectares, equal to approximately 10.5% of the national land surface. By analyzing the historical series (1922-2019) it is possible to appreciate, especially starting from the mid-1970s, positive trends in terms of increase in the number and surface area of ​​terrestrial protected natural areas, while from the years 2008-2009 there is a certain stabilization of growth trends.

Rete Natura 2000

The Natura 2000 Network is made up of 2,639 sites in Italy, for a total surface area net of overlaps of 5,844,915 hectares on land, equal to 19.4% of the national territory and a surface area at sea of ​​2,071,689 hectares equal to 13.4% of water (data updated to December 2022). A total of 639 SPAs and 2,360 SCI-ZSCs have been designated (of which 360 are type C, i.e. SCI-ZSCs coinciding with SPAs).