National Nature Restoration Plan. ISPRA: New Opportunities for Territories, Communities and the Economy “Not a Plan of Restrictions, but a major project for the country. Nature conservation must go hand in hand with development, supported by science, participation, and a strong alliance among institutions, local communities, businesses and citizens". With these words, Maria Alessandra Gallone, President of ISPRA and the SNPA, expresses, on behalf of the Institute, her satisfaction at the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) giving the green light for the draft National Nature Restoration Plan to be submitted to the European Commission. ISPRA provided extensive technical and scientific support in preparing the Plan, working closely with MASE and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), and in cooperation with the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA). This was a complex and wide-ranging team effort, launched in September 2025, involving the entire Institute. It supported the development of the Plan through scientific analyses, assessment of measures, identification of knowledge gaps, support for central and regional administrations, and dialogue with European institutions. The draft prepared for submission to the European Commission now includes 2,078 restoration measures, the outcome of a process that has been progressively strengthened through public consultation and dialogue with stakeholders. “The National Nature Restoration Plan,” President Gallone continues, “represents a major opportunity for Italy. We must explain it and, above all, implement it for what it can genuinely become: not a set of restrictions imposed without consultation, but a project to regenerate our natural heritage and, at the same time, our territories, economies and communities. Restoring nature means investing in the future. Sustainability is meaningful when it integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions, placing people and their needs at the centre. The extensive work carried out by the Institute so far is certainly not an end point, but an ongoing process that continues today and into the future.” For ISPRA, it will be essential for the implementation phase to continue following the same approach of dialogue and participation that accompanied the preparation of the Plan. The public consultation was followed by meetings with environmental organisations, representatives of the fisheries, agricultural and forestry sectors, hunting associations, stakeholders working in urban environments, and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI). “This,” Gallone continues, “is the approach we must continue to follow: a strong alliance for nature and sustainable development. The State, Regions, Municipalities, the National System for Environmental Protection, the scientific and research community, businesses, farmers, fishermen, associations and citizens must all play an active role in a shared process. The transition works when no one is left on the sidelines and when scientific knowledge becomes a practical tool to support decision-making". This vision is further reinforced by the words of President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on the occasion of Terra Madre, when he referred to biodiversity as an asset that protects human health and as a responsibility requiring public participation and institutional action. “President Mattarella’s words,” President Gallone concludes, “once again point us in a clear direction: the environment, biodiversity, people and development do not belong to separate worlds. They are all part of the same future. Nature restoration must not mean bringing territories to a standstill, but helping them evolve in a better way – making them safer, more attractive and capable of generating new economic opportunities and employment.” ISPRA will continue to make its scientific expertise, data, platforms and knowledge of the territory available to MASE, MASAF and the institutional system as a whole, supporting the subsequent phases of the Plan within the scope of its responsibilities". https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/news/national-nature-restoration-plan-ispra-new-opportunities-for-territories-communities-and-the-economy https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/news/national-nature-restoration-plan-ispra-new-opportunities-for-territories-communities-and-the-economy/@@download/image/logo+ripristino+per+web.png

National Nature Restoration Plan. ISPRA: New Opportunities for Territories, Communities and the Economy

“Not a Plan of Restrictions, but a major project for the country. Nature conservation must go hand in hand with development, supported by science, participation, and a strong alliance among institutions, local communities, businesses and citizens".

With these words, Maria Alessandra Gallone, President of ISPRA and the SNPA, expresses, on behalf of the Institute, her satisfaction at the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) giving the green light for the draft National Nature Restoration Plan to be submitted to the European Commission. ISPRA provided extensive technical and scientific support in preparing the Plan, working closely with MASE and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), and in cooperation with the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA).

This was a complex and wide-ranging team effort, launched in September 2025, involving the entire Institute. It supported the development of the Plan through scientific analyses, assessment of measures, identification of knowledge gaps, support for central and regional administrations, and dialogue with European institutions. The draft prepared for submission to the European Commission now includes 2,078 restoration measures, the outcome of a process that has been progressively strengthened through public consultation and dialogue with stakeholders.

“The National Nature Restoration Plan,” President Gallone continues, “represents a major opportunity for Italy. We must explain it and, above all, implement it for what it can genuinely become: not a set of restrictions imposed without consultation, but a project to regenerate our natural heritage and, at the same time, our territories, economies and communities. Restoring nature means investing in the future. Sustainability is meaningful when it integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions, placing people and their needs at the centre. The extensive work carried out by the Institute so far is certainly not an end point, but an ongoing process that continues today and into the future.”

For ISPRA, it will be essential for the implementation phase to continue following the same approach of dialogue and participation that accompanied the preparation of the Plan. The public consultation was followed by meetings with environmental organisations, representatives of the fisheries, agricultural and forestry sectors, hunting associations, stakeholders working in urban environments, and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).

“This,” Gallone continues, “is the approach we must continue to follow: a strong alliance for nature and sustainable development. The State, Regions, Municipalities, the National System for Environmental Protection, the scientific and research community, businesses, farmers, fishermen, associations and citizens must all play an active role in a shared process. The transition works when no one is left on the sidelines and when scientific knowledge becomes a practical tool to support decision-making".

This vision is further reinforced by the words of President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on the occasion of Terra Madre, when he referred to biodiversity as an asset that protects human health and as a responsibility requiring public participation and institutional action. “President Mattarella’s words,” President Gallone concludes, “once again point us in a clear direction: the environment, biodiversity, people and development do not belong to separate worlds. They are all part of the same future. Nature restoration must not mean bringing territories to a standstill, but helping them evolve in a better way – making them safer, more attractive and capable of generating new economic opportunities and employment.”

ISPRA will continue to make its scientific expertise, data, platforms and knowledge of the territory available to MASE, MASAF and the institutional system as a whole, supporting the subsequent phases of the Plan within the scope of its responsibilities".