Green Infrastructures, Monumental and State-Owned Assets: The Role of Tratturi in the Southern Italian Landscape

The ancient Tratturi, once crucial for southern Italy’s transhumance economy, saw their role diminish by the early 20th century. Today these routes have become important cultural heritage and laid the basis for economic initiatives in slow tourism, especially in lowly developed Apennine regions of Italy. The Tratturi may also serve as green infrastructures, however, the knowledge about their ecological roles and the present condition of these protected lands is minimal. This research deals with the aspects of the ecological dimensions of the main Tratturi network, especially with the importance of the green linkages to the protected areas and the network of the Natura 2000 along the Apennines. Through indicators of anthropogenic disturbance, ecological integrity, habitat quality, and proximity to protected sites, the study evaluates each route’s ecological contribution. One of the findings of this study shows that the successful implementation and improvement of Tratturi can become the basis of sustainable development only if eco-tourism and local economies are properly supported. Treating Tratturi as strategic eco-tourism infrastructure can maintain biodiversity and the linking of ecosystems. The present study identifies the activities of conservation and tourism as those which bring to the fore the cultural and natural heritage of the areas, whereas the advised methodology is capable of being a mode of taking care of and running other ecological networks sustainably