Biodiversity strategies implemented by WWF Oasi Guardiaregia Campochiaro

The territory around the Matese Mountains was not protected. The whole area had not been studied sufficiently from a naturalistic point of view, it was almost unknown. There were two municipalities interested in the exploitation of natural resources existing in the area, but they need a scientific support for the identification of the proper way to preserve the biodiversity existing in the area. The mission of the WWF is the nature conservation so began a coooperation process aimed to the identification of the territories of the two municipalities as Nature Reserve. The innovative approach was the creation of a Reserve that has prompltly identified the animal and plant species on which implement preservation policies and that are unique species, the so called endemic species. There was a strong involvement of Molise University for the scientific researches and analysis, also on the field, to able to study and analyze the distribution and location of the species, in order to identify the best protection practices.This scientific activity has also allowed us to identify endemic species that were previously unknown, making it possible to define the Matese Area as a valuable area from a biogeographical point of view. From the administrative point of view, the recognition of this area as a nature reserve was ensured through the creation of the WWF Oasis. The main stakeholders and beneficiaries were two municipalities, local population, local enterprises, eco/friendly tourists