Dis-integrated urban biodiversity: an analysis of urban policies and plans in Italy

This contribution presents the outcomes of an analysis of urban policies and plans in Italy where the objectives of UB safeguarding, restoration, provision, and enhancement are explicitly acknowledged. The objective is to understand the interface between biodiversity and urban policies and identify guidelines and strategies for reorienting the action of city governments towards conserving and enhancing UB. The survey has a two-fold focus, respectively, on the urban policies adopted at regional, sub-regional, municipal levels, and on the spatial plans in charge of translating the general objectives identified in policies into concrete actions, and monitoring their implementations. The research findings show that, while at the European and national levels, a clear trajectory of policies regarding urban biodiversity can be observed, at the local level policies mainly have a sectoral focus as well as an ambiguous impact on UB and lack tools and mechanisms for monitoring their implementation. Concerning the plans, the survey highlighted the pervasive, although rhetorical, diffusion of UB strategies and actions in spatial plans. Nevertheless, the scarce integration between thematic and statutory plans results in the difficulty of implementing and monitoring in an integrated way the objectives related to the protection and restoration of urban biodiversity.