Grants for the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment

Article 96 of Provincial Law no. 11/07 provides subsidies for the protection and enhancement of the natural environment. Both the territories included in the Reserve Networks and other protected areas are eligible for grants.

Funding to Networks of Reserves
With the Deliberation of the Provincial Council no. 1603 of 15 September 2014, the criteria and methods for financing the Networks of Reserves were approved, implementing paragraphs 4 and 4 bis of Article 96 of Provincial Law no. 11 of 23 May 2007.
Applications by the Lead Entity of the Network of Reserves must be submitted by 30 September of each year.

Funding to other protected areas ex art. 96
By Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 928 of 31 May 2016, amended by Resolution no. 423 of 17 March 2017, the new criteria ex art. 96 for the granting of subsidies for the protection and enhancement of the territory and the environment, to subjects other than the Networks of Reserves, were approved.
In summary, the following are financed:

• works for the environmental improvement of natural ecosystems
• management plans under Title V, with the exception of those of the Networks of Reserves
• interventions indicated by the conservation measures of the areas included in the Natura 2000 network.

In addition, a contribution is foreseen for owners, usufructuaries or tenants of areas for which the imposition of provincial nature reserve or site or area of community importance constraints entails any loss of income or higher costs.

Depending on the type, the recipients are: municipalities and their associations and territorial communities, owners of local reserves, including private ones, and owners of agricultural nature reserves.

For the contribution aimed at compensating for loss of income or higher costs due to the imposition of provincial nature reserve or site or area of Community importance constraints, the recipients are public and private owners of agricultural and forestry areas and their associations holding the management of agricultural and forestry areas.

Applications must be submitted via e-mail to the Sustainable Development and Protected Areas Service, using the appropriate forms (see below) and enclosing the required documentation.

The criteria for the granting of subsidies and the priority table can be found in the documentation below.

• Application for funding - Annex 1
• Information sheet - Annex 2
• Declaration in lieu of missing income - Annex 3
• Declaration in lieu of affidavit for VAT