Natura 2000 Area between Conservation and Opportunities of Local Development. Tha Case of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Italy)

Nowadays the management of protected areas is no longer seen as a mere action of nature conservation. The policies are rather based on a kind of dynamic protection. Synergies can be thus created between the economy, nature protection and non-invasive forms of territorial development. This new approach is based on a different perception and representation of the environment: not natural areas to be defended from human action, but with territories resulting from the interaction between man and environment. That is a shift from the paradigm of nature conservation to the one of wise use of natural resources. Our contribution focuses on three case studies from Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, in North-eastern Italy. Case studies were chosen considering potential problems in combining the preservation of natural heritage and landscape with development policies.