Abstract

The marine regional parks in Calabria were established to protect some of the most important coastal seawaters of the region, at biological and environmental levels. At the same time, these protected areas were established to value the Zones of Special Conservation located along the regional coastline. Indeed, Calabria coastal regions hold a rich cultural heritage made of towers, castles, churches and water mills located in seaboard areas within the coastal landscape of marine regional parks. In this way, there is a tight connection between natural and cultural goods widespread in littoral areas. However these natural and cultural goods are, actually, threatened by coastal erosion and by human pressures, leading to the decay and, in some cases, to the disappearance of these resources. To solve this issue, it is necessary to protect such heritage, including all the natural and cultural goods still existing in Calabria coastal regions. The paper highlights these close relationships within a process of an effective Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

Keywords:Calabria; Marine regional parks; Natural resources; Cultural heritage; Integrated coastal zone management