International Law and Mountain Protected Areas

The contribution deals with international protection of mountain protected areas, conceived not only according to their environmental value, but also and in particular in light of their spiritual and, more in general, cultural significance. For this reason, the international regulation of mountain protected areas is investigated under both the perspective of environmental law and of cultural heritage, with particular focus on mountain areas inscribed on the World Heritage List established by the World Heritage Convention. Consistently, the final part of the contribution includes a proposal for a joint inscription of the whole Alpine Arc on the World Heritage List.