The Participatory Planning for Preservation and Valorization of Environmental Heritage

The concept of the conservative protection of ecosystems is increasingly supplanted by a global ecological vision, which considers a pro- tected area as a place of contamination of knowledge and intervention tech- niques. The planning and management of the interventions are necessary to preserve the natural resources, traditional activities and representative living conditions of the place. Participatory planning supported by multi-criteria analysis represents an innovative methodology for making a contribution to the management and control of natural resources. The methodology proposed in this work is based on an integrated approach between participatory planning tech- niques and the NAIADE method. The structure of the method shows how it was possible to combine ease and speed of application with flexibility to the specificity of the different territorial realities, as required by the varied nature of territories included in the protected areas. The analysis of the case study aims to evaluate the theme of protection and enhancement of the Etna Park, to experi- ment new approaches and opportunities for the definition of management strategies for protected areas. The results obtained from this collaborative, eco- social-green governance model, developed through the integration of a partici- patory tool for the protection and enhancement of the territory of the Etna Park become strategic for the future choices.