Analysing development and agricultural sustainability in rural protected areas: an applied theoretical approach

In recent years protected areas in Italy have been established in rural territories, with the object to protect natural patrimony and sustainable production systems. In these areas it is fundamental, more than elsewhere, to integrate actions for environmental protection with those to promote rural sustainable development. With this contribution we intended to propose a methodological scheme, theoretically founded, for the analysis of rural development problems and sustainability of agricultural and livestock breeding sector in these specific areas. The proposed methodology has been applied to a case study: the “Alta Murgia” National Park. The methodological scheme allowed to represent main social-economic aspects and dynamics characterizing this rural territory. It also allowed to provide a first qualitative evaluation of the sustainability of agriculture and livestock breeding in the Park townships. Finally, some useful indications for decision maker of protected area have been drawn.