The Regional Biodiversity Strategy (RBS) is the instrument aimed at the design and implementation until 2020 of the most urgent regional actions to fight the loss of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services offered by both the terrestrial and the marine environments. The RBS is consistent with and functional to the National Strategy for Biodiversity 2020 and the EU Strategy for Biodiversity. This strategy has been included in the Regional Plan for Environment and Energy so to guarantee the implementation of those actions that are considered most urgent and their necessary integration, both with the planning of protected areas and with other environmental policies. The main objective of this Strategy is to preserve and enhance the natural heritage of terrestrial and marine biodiversity of Tuscany, reducing and controlling human pressure which constitute a threat, favoring its sustainable use at the benefit of current and future generations. The RBS is in fact a response to the need for integration between the protection of biodiversity and the objectives pursued by sector policies, through a multidisciplinary approach and collaboration between different offices of the Regional Authority, local authorities, protected areas, agencies, the academic and scientific world, etc. What should be improved is the horizontal integration of the ecosystem concerns into the sectoral policies and plans and innovative financial and marketing mechanisms for payment for ecosystem services. |