A proposal for new conservation areas within the Lagorai mountain range

Abstract

The Lagorai mountain range is located in the eastern part of Trentino and extends over a territory of more than 80,000 ha, from the Valsugana to the Primiero Valley. It is an area of great naturalistic and cultural interest because of its relatively intact environment and peculiar historical traces.

In the past there have been proposals to protect the Lagorai and promote its natural, historical, archaeological, and ethnographic heritage by means of conservation measures or with the establishment of a natural park. However, these positive initiatives have often been hindered and now the only active protection measures consist of some Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), which do not always provide sufficient protection from anthropic pressure and overexploitation.

Against this backdrop, this thesis seeks to identify specific areas within the Lagorai where an improved and more active form of environmental conservation could be envisaged, ideally by means of nature reserves or wilderness areas. It does so by triangulating the results of extensive interviews with experts and local stakeholders, and a GIS analysis of land cover and ecosystem services.