Abruzzo as a two-faced region: Between vulnerability and environmental safeguard

Since its establishment, safeguarding and enhancing the landscape and the environmental heritage represent two key-elements in Abruzzo’s regional planning. Several implemented plans, regulations and official documents over the years have been underlying the creation of an integrated regional development programme, increasing the image of Abruzzo as a “Green Region of Europe” (one-third of the protected surface so as to have three National Parks and a Regional Park). By contrast, recent national and regional reports show that Abruzzo – in all its four provinces – ranks among top positions in Italy as regards vulnerability risk in terms of surface, population, enterprises and cultural heritage, with percentages well above the national average in each category. These data present a jarring framework compared to the initially envisaged image of regional environmental rebalancing. The recentmost natural catastrophic events (abundant snowfalls within in a few days and continuous earthquakes) suggest the need for studying the actual resilience of the region. In view of it, it is important to assess the real control of the territory, the spending capacity of the local authorities and the broader coordination of the involved institutional actors, in order to avoid – or at least to restrict – situations that have been recognized to severely damage real estate assets, and incur especially heavy human losses.