The Liberal Democrats in the chorus of “no” to the Nature Reserve. The ball, clearly, is in the hands of the Regional Council and that of the president, Roberto Occhiuto, who will have to address the issue within the parties that regulate the functioning of the Region itself. The Liberal Democrats have decided to take sides «alongside the many citizens of Castrovillari who are fighting to defend the freedom of the city territory from the burdens and constraints that the establishment of a protected area would impose, particularly in the northern area of the city».
For President Ciro Giovanni Palmieri and the regional coordination for Calabria, the regional law proposal for the establishment of the Nature Reserve is not only «unfounded from a scientific point of view, but is also in conflict with national legislation. The Framework Law on protected areas (Law 394/1991) establishes that, to establish a nature reserve, it is necessary for vulnerable areas to exist in the territory that require specific protection actions”. In the case of Castrovillari there would be no scientific evidence to justify the need to protect species of flora or fauna at risk in the “parasteppist” lands indicated in the proposed law. On the contrary, the northern area of Castrovillari represents a strategic point for the economic and social development of the entire Pollino area.”