The Protected Areas in the UNESCO Dolomites World Heritage Site – Part one
Exploring the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park
“Here, from 400 metres up to the summit, the natural environment is quite unique, this land belongs to the animals and their habitats. Our contribution to the whole UNESCO territory is precisely this: we can demonstrate that a land can be preserved as it was”
Graziano Danelin, director of the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park
Brief presentation of the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park
Set up in 1996, the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane preserves and enhances the natural geological heritage of the Dolomiti Friulane e d’Oltre Piave. The area, bounded by the Valcellina, Alta Valle del Tagliamento and the Val Tramontina valleys, is home to the most important mountain peaks in the UNESCO system: Duranno, Cima Preti, Monfalconi and Cridola. The area, covering 37,000 hectares in the provinces of Udine and Pordenone, is still free of public roads. It is a wild, natural environment and home to the golden eagle.
Click here to learn more about System 4 Dolomiti Friulane e d’Oltre Piave.
Interview with the Director of the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park, Graziano Danelin
How has the Park changed since UNESCO inscription in 2009?
“Our mindset as managers of the park has changed, from both a technical and an administrative point of view. We have realised that this land is not only a natural park, recognised within our region, but also a designated World Heritage Property. So, as well as this realisation, our responsibility towards this territory has increased.
The Dolomiti Friulane area is possibly the wildest of the nine systems in the UNESCO Dolomites and there the wilderness really does reign supreme. So we have an extra responsibility to preserve and safeguard this natural environment for future generations, one of the criterion expressed by UNESCO to ensure the landscape and geological value is maintained”
Why is it important to be part of the Foundation and a Supporter and active member?
“The UNESCO Dolomites Foundation is key to managing the Site. We belong to the ‘Landscape Heritage and Protected Areas’ Operating Network and are also a Supporter of the Foundation. The Foundation’s role is to coordinate the work of the various members of the network: the administrative authorities, municipalities, provinces, regions and the park authorities within the UNESCO Property. Working in a network is essential if we are to protect the Property – it is a serial Property divided into a number of different territories which are often far apart, each with its own way of managing and doing things, both from a social and administrative viewpoint. The role of the Foundation is to coordinate all these players. We have played an active part from the very start because we believe in the Foundation’s role and would actually like to see it grow in importance, compared to other administrative authorities”
Within the scope of the UNESCO Dolomites Site, what added value does the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park have to offer?
“System 4 of the UNESCO Dolomites Site, the Dolomiti Friulane e d’Oltre Piave, is possibly the least-known of the nine systems both at home and abroad. Yet it has a basic intrinsic value that lies at the very heart of the inscription, as it is mainly made up of wilderness where the natural environment reigns supreme. There are no towns or villages, for instance, within the Park. This is a fundamental added value for the whole UNESCO Dolomites Site. Here, from 400 metres up to the summit, the natural environment is quite unique, this land belongs to the animals and their habitats. Our contribution to the whole UNESCO territory is precisely this: we can demonstrate that a land can be preserved as it was, even for the near future”
Photo credit: Francesco Zanna e Eugenio Cappena | Parco Naturale Dolomiti Friulane