National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Next Generation EU": a wasted opportunity for Italian forests

Abstract

The Plan approved by the Council of Ministers of Italy on Jan 12, 2021 in Mission 2. “Green revolution and ecological transition”, Project Line 2.4 “Territory and water resource protection”, includes a specific intervention called “Forests and Protection” designated to mitigate the risks associated with hydrogeological instability, which does not provide for specific financial resources and refers to the EAFRD fund of the next programming period. In light of the actual hydrogeological emergencies of the country and the periodic announcements following each calamitous event, the choice made is incomprehensible. Not even the recent disaster that struck the forests in north-eastern Italy following the Vaia windstorm was an adequate warning to set aside for forests a two-hundredth of the funds in the PNRR.

Keywords

• national recovery and resilience plan
• next generation eu
• forests
• hydrogeological disruption
• sustainable forest management