Regional Act No. 16 re-arranging the legislation relating to forestry and vegetation protection. Country/Territory Italy Territorial subdivision Sicilia Document type Legislation Date 1996 Source FAO, FAOLEX Subject Forestry Keyword Forestry protection measures Forest fires Inventory Forest service/forest officers Afforestation/reforestation Expropriation Public forest Policy/planning Institution Forest management/forest conservation Geographical area Alps, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, European Union Countries, Mediterranean, Southern Europe Entry into force notes This Regional Act has entered into force on 12 April 1996. Abstract The Sicilia Region aims at promoting agricultural and sylvo-pastoral resources, improving woodlands as well as sylviculture and related activities and protecting the environment. For the achievement of these purposes, this Act reorganizes the regional legislation in matter of forestry and flora protection. Forests are defined by article 4 as surfaces of not less than 5000 mq in width where forestry plants, shrubs and forest trees exist. The Regional Counsel of Agriculture and Forestry shall elaborate and update the regional inventory of forests, which shall contain the list of lands that can be qualified as forests in accordance with the definition given by article 4. The Regional Forestry Chart, containing the classification of forests, shall be attached to the inventory. The Agency for the Forest Domain of the Sicilian Region (AFDRS) shall provide for the management of forests by adopting the plans referred to in article 13. Such plans shall contain, inter alia, provisions regarding forest management and culture and infrastructural interventions to be undertaken to improve forest productivity. The forestry administration shall be engaged in: (a) nature reserves management; (b) the management of woodlands and lands of naturalistic interest; (c) interventions to be undertaken in order to protect and improve public and private lands falling within nature parks; (d) setting up of installations intended for the processing and transformation of forest products; (e) creation of botanic gardens for scientific and educational purposes; (f) cultivation and marketing of officinal plants, mushrooms and typical fruit plants of the regional territory. Article 20 lays down provisions in matter of expropriation, which may take place upon payment to the owner of a proper compensation as per article 22. Article 27 concerns particularly the expropriation of lands reforested through public funding. The Regional Counsel of Agriculture and Forestry shall promote a programme on water and forestry interventions so as to contribute to soil protection. With a view to enacting such programme, the Regional Counsel may draw up a plan on acquisition of lands, in compliance with the priority criteria laid down in article 31. Article 33 concerns fire-fighting activities. The Plan for the Protection of Vegetation against Fires shall be adopted by Decree of the President of the Region as referred to in article 34. Particular rules are established for protected nature areas. The Regional Forestry Body shall exercise, within the regional territory, the functions and tasks which are entrusted to the State Forestry Body at the national level. Full text Italian Website www.regione.sicilia.it References - Legislation Implemented by Presidential Decree laying down the criteria for determining the rupestrian formations and the Mediterranean scrub. Legislation | Italy | 2000 Keyword: Wild flora Source: FAO, FAOLEX Amended by Regional Act No. 14 amending and supplementing Regional Act No. 16 of 1996 re-arranging the legislation relating to forestry and vegetation protection. Legislation | Italy | 2006 Keyword: Institution, Financial agricultural measures, Subsidy/incentive, Forestry protection measures, Forest fires, Inventory, Public forest, Policy/planning, Monitoring, Forest management/forest conservation Source: FAO, FAOLEX Regional Act No. 13 amending Regional Act No. 16 of 6 April 1996 rearranging the legislation relating to forestry and vegetation protection. Legislation | Italy | 1999 Keyword: Forestry protection measures, Afforestation/reforestation, Forest management/forest conservation Source: FAO, FAOLEX