Sociopolitical conflicts on the establishment of protected natural areas: The case of Portofino National Park (Genoa, North-West Italy)

Abstract

This work traces the main stages of environmental and landscape protection of the Portofino Promontory, located in Riviera Ligure di Levante (N-W Italy), with particular regard on the recent establishment of Portofino National Park. From 2017, when the institution law was enacted, to date, the park has not yet been established due to the socio-political conflicts that have arisen between some stakeholders and institutions of the territory. These conflicts include not only environmentalists against hunters and constructors but also disagreement between municipalities and region (Regione Liguria) and between region and the Ministry of Environment. Today the situation is still stalled, and funds for a park larger than the current one (Portofino Regional Park) have not been allocated. In spite of this, the tug-of-war continues through legal actions. The aim of the article is to analyze the perception of the enlargement of the park by the community and local governance and how this is communicated by the press. The research was conducted through the analysis of the results of a questionnaire aimed at understanding the level of knowledge of the main functions of a national park and the position of the people with respect to it. Second, an analysis of the press was carried out to understand the narratives on this environmental measure. The results of the questionnaire showed a positive consensus toward the park, while press analysis showed little involvement of experts on the subject to foster a political debate without concrete arguments, which damaged the park's image.

Keywords

• natural parks
• sociopolitical conflicts
• landscape
• environmental protection
• tourism
• italian riviera
• liguria
• portofino