The Piedmont Po River Park: Advancing Nature Restoration through its Ongoing Park Plan

Environmental issues have become central to contemporary policy and scientific discourse, emphasizing the urgent need for effective conservation and restoration strategies. Within Europe, Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs) serve as key instruments for spatial planning and environmental governance, linking biodiversity protection with sustainable territorial development. The Piedmont Region in Italy exemplifies these dynamics through the Piedmont Po River ecological corridor—an essential component of the regional ecological network and the MAB UNESCO Collina Po Biosphere Reserve. Currently, the revision of the Piedmont Po Park Plan offers an opportunity to realign conservation objectives with European Union biodiversity and nature restoration targets, while addressing challenges such as fragmented management and rigid institutional boundaries. The new proposal prioritizes integrated assessments of Landscape-Environmental Units, ecosystem services, and community participation through collaborative planning processes. This initiative seeks to harmonize ecological resilience, spatial coherence, and socio-economic development, reaffirming the role of park planning as a strategic driver for sustainable and adaptive territorial governance.