Salviamo l’Orso, together with the Italian League for the Protection of Birds, ALTURA, WWF Abruzzo, Appennino Ecosistema and Rewilding Apennines have sent a formal warning to the Municipality of Magliano de’ Marsi (AQ), the Amateur Sports Association USA Sporting Club Avezzano and, for information, to the Carabinieri Biodiversity Department of Castel di Sangro, the Carabinieri Forestry Group of L’Aquila and the Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park Authority. The stated goal, and strongly desired, is to cancel the competitive “Skyrace del Maglio” race scheduled in the territory of Magliano de’ Marsi (AQ) on October 19, 2025.
What moves the associations is the belief that protected natural areas should be frequented with total respect for the wildlife that inhabits them and the flora that characterizes them. From a legal point of view, moreover, the necessary authorization from the Management Authority of the “Monte Velino” Oriented Nature Reserve and the activation of the Level II Environmental Impact Assessment procedure (appropriate assessment) are lacking to date, which, if they do not arrive in time, could result in serious criminal consequences for the organizers and the Administrations that would authorize the event anyway.
The holding of the competitive mountain running event is scheduled in the heart of the territory of the Oriented Nature Reserve “Monte Velino,” in that of the Sirente Velino Regional Nature Park and the area of the Natura 2000 Network of the European Union Special Area of Conservation IT7110206 “Monte Sirente and Monte Velino,” where there are numerous habitats and species of European Union interest, some of which are priority and considered to be in an inadequate or even poor state of conservation.
Supporting what the associations state, moreover, is the fact that “Outdoor sports and recreation (recreational activities)” are cited among the pressures/threats on the conservation status of these habitats and species within the legally mandated site-specific conservation measures (approved by Ministerial Decree of 12/28/2018). Moreover, the regulations in force in the R.N.O. “Monte Velino” (Law No. 394/1991, Ministerial Decree No. 427/1987 and Ministerial Decree 15/12/1984, Provisions of the Carabinieri Biodiversity Department of Castel di Sangro dated 23/10/2019) do not allow the holding of sporting events such as the one in question because, at least potentially, they could cause a deterioration of the conservation status of species and/or habitats, thus endangering the state of the ecosystem, biodiversity, flora or fauna.
If the event were to take place anyway, serious crimes could be committed against the organizers, such as those under Leg. n. 42/2004, Art. 181, c. 1 (Landscape Code – interventions carried out without authorization in a restricted area, with the sanctions of L. no. 47/1985, art. 20) and by arts. 733-bis (Destruction or deterioration of habitats within a protected site), 727-bis (Killing, destroying, capturing, taking, keeping specimens of protected wild animal or plant species) and 452-quinquies (culpable offenses against the environment) of the Criminal Code, for engaging in culpable conduct from which the danger of deterioration or impairment of habitats and species of EU interest present in the locations where the event is scheduled to be held. In addition, clear criminal liabilities could also emerge against any other Administrations that might authorize it illegitimately (actual aiding and abetting, Article 379 of the Criminal Code).
> To learn more about the legal aspects of the issue, see the full version of thepress release.
Cover photo: By Sbaliva – Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7607988