PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS, BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS: A PARADIGMATIC APPROACH 
The topic of safeguarding biodiversity is certainly of great interest from a scientifi c perspective. It has recently become clear that the most traditional policies for environmental protection, focussed on the creation of protected natural areas, despite being important instruments in the conservation of the species, are not suffi cient in stopping environmental fragmentation which is the main factor threatening biodiversity. Currently, Ecological Networks appear to be the most effective way of preserving animal and plant species and their corresponding ecosystems. The aim of this report is to describe the key steps in the adoption of the concept of Ecological Network, fi rst theoretically and then practically and to verify the actual feasibility of this concept, despite the many issues that could arise due to potential confl icts with the anthropic activities. 
Keywords: protected natural areas, biodiversity, Ecological Network.