en_ambiente&natura:Layout 1 3-09-2008 12:33 Pagina 1 Abruzzo: Europe’s 2 greenest region Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga 6 National Park 12 Majella National Park Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise 20 National Park Sirente-Velino 26 Regional Park Regional Reserves and 30 Oases Abruzzo Promozione Turismo - Corso V. Emanuele II, 301 - 65122 Pescara - Email
[email protected] en_ambiente&natura:Layout 1 3-09-2008 12:33 Pagina 2 ABRUZZO In Abruzzo nature is a protected resource. With a third of its territory set aside as Park, the region not only holds a cultural and civil record for protection of the environment, but also stands as the biggest nature area in Europe: the real green heart of the Mediterranean. Abruzzo Promozione Turismo - Corso V. Emanuele II, 301 - 65122 Pescara - Email
[email protected] en_ambiente&natura:Layout 1 3-09-2008 12:33 Pagina 3 ABRUZZO ITALY 3 Europe’s greenest region In Abruzzo, a third of the territory is set aside in protected areas: three National Parks, a Regional Park and more than 30 Nature Reserves. A visionary and tough decision by those who have made the environment their resource and will project Abruzzo into a major and leading role in “green tourism”. Overall most of this legacy – but not all – is to be found in the mountains, where the landscapes and ecosystems change according to altitude, shifting from typically Mediterranean milieus to outright alpine scenarios, with mugo pine groves and high-altitude steppe. Of all the Apennine regions, Abruzzo is distinctive for its prevalently mountainous nature,