Protected Areas: From Biodiversity Conservation to the Social-Ecological Dimension

The main strategy adopted by EU Member States to stem biodiversity loss is the establishment of new protected areas to be included in the Natura 2000 network. The effectiveness of this network is not satisfactory everywhere, with critical issues concerning poor consideration of socio-ecological system, planning that treats protected area as isolated entities, and conservation objectives that are not always synergistic with the objectives of maintaining a good level of both ecosystem services supply and multifunctionality. The paper explores these weaknesses in order to propose a conceptual framework to guide next steps within the LIFE IMAGINE project and provide the partnership with a fertile ground for discussion. The project pursues the aim of supporting the development of an integrated, unified, coordinated and participatory management strategy for the Natura 2000 network in the Umbria region (Italy). The integration between the ecosystem services framework, biodiversity conservation needs and the investigation of socio-ecological system shows potentials to derive planning implications useful to achieve the objectives and to support the multidisciplinary approach of the project.