Regional Act No. 15 laying down provisions for the creation and management of protected nature areas.

The present Regional Act lays down provisions relating to the establishment and management of protected nature areas of regional interest, in compliance with the principles and rules set out in Act No. 394 of 6 December 1991. The aims hereby pursued are the following: the conservation of animal and plant species; the protection and restoration of the ecological and hydrogeological balance; the protection of biogenetic resources; the promotion and development of production activities compatible with the environmental protection. Protected nature areas of regional interest are classified into nature parks (art. 3) and nature reserves (art. 4). The latter are at the same time sub-classified into general nature reserves and particular nature reserves. To establish nature parks and reserves, a special Conference shall be held upon convocation by the regional authority (art. 10). The following authorities shall be attending: the Mayors of the Communes; the Presidents of the Provinces; the President of Mountain Communities concerned. As a result, a document defining the perimeter of the area, the territorial analysis and the objectives to be pursued shall be elaborated. Thereafter, the nature park or reserve shall be established by Regional Act on the basis of a Resolution of the Regional Council. The planning, programming and implementation instruments are the following: (a) the Statute (art. 14); (b) the Plan of the park or reserve, which shall, inter alia, delineate the perimeter of the area (art. 15); (c) the park regulation (art. 16); (d) the socio-economic plan (art. 17). Furthermore, the Region shall plan the interventions to be undertaken on protected areas by adopting the three-year programme for protected areas referred to in article 7. Article 6 of the Act provides for the establishment of the Regional Technical and Scientific Committee for Protected Nature Areas. The Committee shall exercise advisory functions in matter of nature protection and technical coordination of environmental interventions to be undertaken. It shall as well propose studies and researches and submit annually to the Regional Council a report concerning the activities that have been carried out. Further provisions concern surveillance (art. 23 and 24) and set out penalties (art. 28-32).