All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies
An official website of the European Union | How do you know?
Environmental information systems
Italy has a wide range of landscapes, from its mountainous terrains in the north including the Alps, the large Po valley and a backbone of the Apennine mountains to an extensive coastal area, including the two largest in the Mediterranean, Sardinia and Sicily. Italy has a terrestrial area of over 300,000km² and a marine area close to 58,000km². It is bordered by 6 neighbouring countries. The highest point is Monte Bianco reaching a height of 4,809m on the French border. Italy has a population of 59 million people and a population density of 201.3 people per km².
of land
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, falling below the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, remains below the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in did not increase.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment, accounting for are designated as Natura 2000 sites. In the marine waters of , the majority of protected areas, accounting for , are nationally designated areas.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
The majority (37%) of terrestrial protected areas in Italy are 1-10km2 in size and the proportion of smaller protected areas (less than 1km2) is 24%, which is lower than the EU average. About 2% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km2. The distribution is similar in the marine waters of Italy, with the majority of marine sites being 10-100km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 25% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 65% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 46.6%. They are followed by vascular plants, accounting for 16.3% of protected species, and mammals, representing 9.4%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that mammals have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 78.1%. Following behind are vascular plants and amphibians, with 50% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, arthropods and amphibians have a big share of species with a bad conservation status, standing at 50%.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 56.7% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In , only 9.8% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is below the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 47.1%, indicate a poor conservation status, while habitats assessments reporting bad conservation status are 38.8%, above the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In , the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 29.5% of the total. Following behind are coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, encompassing 12.8% of the protected habitats.
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that heath and scrub have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 54.5%. Following behind are coastal habitats, with 26% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, dune habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 88.2%, while freshwater habitats also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 66.6%, followed by bogs, mires and fens that have a proportion in bad conservation status reaching 61.1%.
Italy is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 43.2% of the country, followed by forest ecosystems occupying 40.8% of the land area. However, Italy has relatively smaller proportions of heathlands (8.2%), urban areas (7.1%), rivers and lakes (0.8%), and wetland ecosystems (0.05%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 54.1% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 28.9% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 13.8% of the protected areas, while urban areas represent 1.5%. Rivers and lakes account for 1.5%, and wetlands comprise 0.2%.