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Italy
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
31.1% or about 9,149,000 ha of Italy is forested, according to FAO. Of this 1.0% ( 93,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Italy had 621,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Italy lost an average of 77,950 ha or 1.03% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Italy gained 20.5% of its forest cover, or around 1,559,000 ha.
Italy's forests contain 558 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Italy has some 710 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 3.4% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 5.1% are threatened. Italy is home to at least 5599 species of vascular plants, of which 12.7% are endemic. 7.2% of Italy is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
Italy pictures
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Italy
Previous version of this profile (2009)
SECTIONS:
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Italy: Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 ha) | 29411 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 9149 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 31 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | 93 |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | 1 |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 1767 |
| Percent other wooded land | 6 |
Italy: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 93 | 1 |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 8435 | 92 |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 621 | 7 |
Italy: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 7590 | 8369 | 8759 | 9149 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 78 | 78 | 78 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.98 | 0.92 | 0.88 | |
Italy: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 7043 | 7785 | 8157 | 8528 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 1.1 | 1.05 | 0.95
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Italy: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 93 | 93 | 93 | 93 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Italy: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 547 | 584 | 602 | 621 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.66 | 0.61 | 0.62 | |
Italy: Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| 45 | 20 | 36 | n.s. | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Italy: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 34 | 66 | 0 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| 88 | 12 | 0 |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| - | - | - | - | - |
Italy: Growing stock in forest
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
Total
(million m3) | Per hectare
(m3) | Coniferous
(million m3) | Broadleaved
(million m3) | % commercial species |
| 1384 | 151 | 504 | 880 | 100 |
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
| Total (million m3) | Per hectare (m3) | Coniferous (million m3) | Broadleaved (million m3) | % commercial species |
| 64 | 36 | | | |
Italy: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 375 | 467 | 512 | 558 |
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons) |
| | | 2000 |
| | | 61 |
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 9 | 9 | 9 |
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 0.6 | 0.5 | n.s. |
Italy: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
| FOREST FIRE |
| 1000 ha | % wild fire (not managed burn) |
| 29 | 100 |
| EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE |
| Insects | Diseases | Other biotic agents | Abiotic factors | Total (excluding fire) | % of 2005 forest area |
| 347 | 591 | 323 | 584 | 1845 | 21 |
Italy: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 4982 | 4031 | 3499 | 100 |
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 4895 | 6000 | 6542 | 100 |
Italy: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$) | Value per ha forest
(US$) |
| Industrial roundwood | Woodfuel | NWFP | Total | |
| 209 | 335 | 329 | 873 | n.s. |
Italy: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | 47 |
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| 56 | 36 | 41 |
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | 6 |
Italy: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (2001)
Sub-national forest policy: Yes
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2009) In implementation
National forest law (year): Specific forest law (2001)
Sub-national forest law: Yes
Italy: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
| 2000 | 2005 | 2008 |
| # | % female | # | % female | # | % female |
| 8304 | 11 | 7940 | 12 | 8374 | 15 |
Italy: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
| Forest revenue | Public expenditure (1000 US$) |
| Domestic funding | External funding | Total |
| (1000 US$) | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments |
| - | 693663 | 560640 | 122821 | 31489 | 816483 | 592128
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Italy: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
CbD:
UNFCCC:
Kyoto Protocol:
UNCCD:
ITTA:
CITeS:
Ramsar:
World Heritage Convention:
NlbI:
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Italy: Environment
| Environment - current issues | air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants | | Natural hazards | regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice |
Italy: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 27.79%
permanent crops: 9.53%
other: 62.68% (2001) | | Natural resources | coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land |
Italy: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed, welfare-dependent agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced no growth in 2005, and unemployment remained at a high level. | | GDP - per capita | $28,300 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 0% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 2.1%, industry: 28.8%, services: 69.1% (2005 est.) | | Industries | tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics | | Population below poverty line (%) | NA | | Debt - external | $1.682 trillion (30 June 2005 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 5%, industry 32%, services 63% (2001) |
Italy: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 58,103,033 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 0.07% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 197.6 | | Percent rural (2003) | 32.6% | | Median age (years) | total: 41.77 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 1.28 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) |
Largest Cities in Italy
Cities and urban areas in Italy with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| Rome | Italy | 2649500 | 3552600 |
| Milan (Milano) | Italy | 1302000 | 4051500 |
| Napoli | Italy | 992700 | 3620300 |
| Torino | Italy | 898400 | 1617600 |
| Palermo | Italy | 684800 | 947500 |
| Genova | Italy | 628800 | 679000 |
| Bologna | Italy | 380300 | 545700 |
| Firenze (Florence) | Italy | 375500 | 825100 |
| Catania | Italy | 337800 | 830700 |
| Bari | Italy | 331700 | 331700 |
| Venezia | Italy | 272100 | 272100 |
| Messina | Italy | 259000 | 259000 |
| Verona | Italy | 256100 | 256100 |
| Trieste | Italy | 214500 | 214500 |
| Padova | Italy | 211500 | 211500 |
| Taranto | Italy | 207800 | 207800 |
| Brescia | Italy | 192100 | 192100 |
| Reggio di Calabria | Italy | 179600 | 179600 |
| Modena | Italy | 176500 | 176500 |
| Parma | Italy | 169300 | 169300 |
| Cagliari | Italy | 163500 | 163500 |
| Livorno | Italy | 160900 | 160900 |
| Perugia | Italy | 158200 | 158200 |
| Foggia | Italy | 154900 | 154900 |
| Reggio nell'Emilia | Italy | 146000 | 146000 |
| Salerno | Italy | 142000 | 142000 |
| Ravenna | Italy | 138900 | 138900 |
| Rimini | Italy | 131700 | 131700 |
| Ferrara | Italy | 131600 | 131600 |
| Siracusa | Italy | 126400 | 126400 |
| Sassari | Italy | 120700 | 120700 |
| Pescara | Italy | 115300 | 115300 |
| Latina | Italy | 115200 | 115200 |
| Vicenza | Italy | 110500 | 110500 |
| Terni | Italy | 107800 | 107800 |
| Forli | Italy | 107500 | 107500 |
| Trento | Italy | 105900 | 105900 |
| Novara | Italy | 101900 | 101900 |
Italy: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 26.596 million (2003) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 55.918 million (2003) | | Roadways (km) | total: 479,688 km
paved: 479,688 km (including 6,620 km of expressways) (1999) |
Italy: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 79.68 years
male: 76.75 years
female: 82.81 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 5.94 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | 0.5% (2001 est.) |
Italy
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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