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Article

Native Flora and Potential Natural Vegetation References for Effective Forest Restoration in Italian Urban Systems

1
Interuniversity Research Center “Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability” (CIRBISES), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
2
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work as first authors.
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2396; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152396 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 June 2025 / Revised: 28 July 2025 / Accepted: 30 July 2025 / Published: 2 August 2025

Abstract

The ongoing decade of UN restoration matches with the European goal of bringing nature back into our lives, including in urban systems, and Nature Restoration Regulation. Within such a framework, this work is aimed at highlighting the ecological rationale and strategic value of an NRRP measure devoted to forest restoration in Italian Metropolitan Cities, and at assessing respective preliminary results. Therefore, the measure’s overarching goal (not to create urban parks or gardens, but activate forest recovery), geographic extent and scope (over 4000 ha and more than 4 million planted trees and shrubs across the country), plantation model (mandatory use of native species consistent with local potential vegetation, density of 1000 seedlings per ha, use of at least four tree and four shrub species in each project, with a minimum proportion of 70% for trees, certified provenance for reproductive material), and compulsory management activities (maintenance and replacement of any dead plants for at least five years), are herein shown and explained under an ecological perspective. Current implementation outcomes were thus assessed in terms of coherence and expected biodiversity benefits, especially with respect to ecological and biogeographic consistency of planted forests, representativity in relation to national and European plant diversity, biogeographic interest and conservation concern of adopted plants, and potential contribution to the EU Habitats Directive. Compliance with international strategic goals and normative rules, along with recognizable advantages of the measure and limitations to be solved, are finally discussed. In conclusion, the forestation model proposed for the Italian Metropolitan Cities proved to be fully applicable in its ecological rationale, with expected benefits in terms of biodiversity support plainly met, and even exceeded, at the current stage of implementation, especially in terms of the contribution to protected habitats. These promising preliminary results allow the model to be recognized at the international level as a good practice that may help achieve protection targets and sustainable development goals within and beyond urban systems.
Keywords: native species; European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC); vegetation series; reforestation; urban systems; ecological networks; metropolitan cities native species; European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC); vegetation series; reforestation; urban systems; ecological networks; metropolitan cities

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MDPI and ACS Style

Blasi, C.; Capotorti, G.; Del Vico, E.; Bonacquisti, S.; Zavattero, L. Native Flora and Potential Natural Vegetation References for Effective Forest Restoration in Italian Urban Systems. Plants 2025, 14, 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152396

AMA Style

Blasi C, Capotorti G, Del Vico E, Bonacquisti S, Zavattero L. Native Flora and Potential Natural Vegetation References for Effective Forest Restoration in Italian Urban Systems. Plants. 2025; 14(15):2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152396

Chicago/Turabian Style

Blasi, Carlo, Giulia Capotorti, Eva Del Vico, Sandro Bonacquisti, and Laura Zavattero. 2025. "Native Flora and Potential Natural Vegetation References for Effective Forest Restoration in Italian Urban Systems" Plants 14, no. 15: 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152396

APA Style

Blasi, C., Capotorti, G., Del Vico, E., Bonacquisti, S., & Zavattero, L. (2025). Native Flora and Potential Natural Vegetation References for Effective Forest Restoration in Italian Urban Systems. Plants, 14(15), 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152396

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