Environmental Assessment for Sustainable Land Use in Protected Landscapes: The Case of Vesuvius National Park

The Vesuvius National Park (VNP), with its approximately 110,000 inhabitants within the park area and over 600,000 in the territory of the municipalities, is the most populous in Italy and the most densely populated. But it is also a park with unique environmental and landscape values recognized on a global scale: MAB UNESCO biosphere reserve, two Site of Community Importance (SCI) areas, and one Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Therefore, the dichotomy between nature conservation needs and local development instances, here more than elsewhere, demands a solution rooted along a path of sustainability. Furthermore, it must be considered the peculiarity of being one of the most potentially dangerous volcanoes in the world: due to the risk to which inhabitants and activities are subjected, the entire area is declared “red zone” by National Civil Protection Office and is consequently prevented any increase in volume, necessarily shifting the orientation of development policies toward sustainable supply chains: tourism (naturalistic but also religious and cultural ones), fine agricultural production, conversion of old farmhouses, etc. Starting from the preparation of the Environmental Report and the Impact Assessment for the Urban Plan of a municipality belonging to the so-called “Vesuvian crown” composed of 13 cities lying inside the boundaries of the VNP, we aim to identify an operational methodology that can be adopted by all the municipalities within the park territory. The Vesuvian territory contains a plurality of different and unique elements in their identity: natural areas, local products of high food and wine quality, paths and nature trails, ancient farms. But it is also characterized by a very strong soil consumption: during the 70 s until some years of the 2000s, a rapid urbanization phenomenon almost devoured the protected area, aggravated by phenomena of illegal building. Thus, the study has highlighted the conditions of fragility and vulnerability of the Vesuvian area, with special concern to soil consumption, potentially compromising landscape and ecological values. The assessment of environmental suitability of plan actions has addressed the strategic choices toward sustainable development, through conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, relocation and concentration of production activities, protection of cultural heritage, mitigation of hydraulic risk, moving in the direction of a conscious and rational use of the “soil” resource.