Landscape Heritage
and Protected Areas

A landscape owes its origin to a series of relationships, not least that between human beings and nature. A landscape is made up of what you see and what you don’t see. It evokes sensations and emotions in those who gaze at it, and these too become part of the landscape. The dolomitic landscape features dizzying heights, colour contrasts, a variety of shapes and monumental assonances unequalled anywhere in the world but is also prey to numerous risk factors.

The presence of today’s human beings with their frantic rhythms and all-consuming lifestyles poses a serious danger to the harmony of the landscape. Within the Dolomites there are numerous protected areas. The challenge for the protected areas is to harmonise the different management approaches, establishing which tools and projects to share. The environmental constraints binding the Dolomites World Heritage Site should be looked on as opportunities rather than limitations.

Text by Dolomiti Project

The parks sharing the area recognised as the UNESCO site are:

Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park

Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park

Natural Park of the Friulian Dolomites

Fanes-Senes-Braies Natural Park

Puez-OdleNatural Park

Sciliar-Catinaccio Natural Park

Tre Cime Natural Park

Paneveggio – Pale di San Martino Natural Park

Adamello Brenta Natural Park

Geoparc Bletterbach

The Landscape Heritage and Protected Areas Network is coordinated by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia through the Biodiversity Department. The current structure was established in 2015 with merger of the Landscape Heritage Network and Protected Areas Network, coordinated by the Provinces of Udine and Pordenone, respectively.

The Dolomites are a complex area in terms of protection. Certain Provinces have relevant legislative authority, whilst others do not, and there are many distinct forms of protection. Almost all of the surface area included in the nine Systems (approximately 95%) is protected by national, regional and provincial parks, with either national monument or SCI/SPA protection status.

The Landscape Heritage and Protected Areas Network has launched preliminary studies (feeding into the Overall Management Strategy) to provide adequate tools for the adoption and implementation of shared protocols for governance of local areas and harmonisation of landscape policy. It also carried out activity connected to assessment and management of Obsolete Structures (elements with a negative impact on the landscape for one reason or another) and fosters relationships with local producers from the agri-food industry, key players in active conservation and promotion of local areas.