Regional Act No. 9 on mountain areas. Country/Territory Italy Territorial subdivision Lazio Document type Legislation Date 1999 Source FAO, FAOLEX Subject Environment gen. Keyword Agricultural development Less favoured areas Mountain area Environmental planning Institution Access-to-information Special fund Policy/planning Geographical area Alps, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, European Union Countries, Mediterranean, Southern Europe Abstract The present Regional Act lays down provisions in matter of Mountain Communities and promotes the protection of mountain areas, giving particular regard to the natural environment. The Regional Council shall provide for the establishment of Mountain Communities by defining homogeneous zones in accordance with the Annexes attached. Furthermore, the Regional Council shall determine the less-favoured mountain territories to be classified into the three categories referred to in article 4. Part II of the Regional Act fully regulates the functions entrusted to Mountain Communities. The latter shall boost the socio-economic development of their territories by executing the plan referred to in article 30 with a view to achieving the following purposes: (a) improvement of mountain natural resources; (b) improvement of mountain typical products; (c) soil conservation. Article 10 establishes the Mountain Conference, which represents an important cooperation instrument. Mountain Communities shall adopt the Socio-Economic Development Plan. Article 30 gives details on its content, which includes: (a) hydrogeological rearrangement; (b) use of water resources and mountain reclamation; (c) protection of the quality and typicality of mountain agricultural products and foodstuffs. The above-mentioned plan shall be enforced through annual operating programmes. Part VII of the Act makes provision on territorial safeguarding. Mountain Communities shall promote the conservation and improvement of public and private agro-forestry resources. To this end, Mountain Communities shall conclude agreement with public or private owners and programme agreements with public entities and shall also create forestry consortia, if necessary. Part VIII sets up an information system. Article 58 establishes the Regional Mountain Fund. Full text Italian Website www.regione.lazio.it