Bioeconomy, Green Transition and Environmental Sustainability: The Roccamonfina Area in the Campania Region (Italy)

ABSTRACT: The paper aims to contribute to planning decisions, policies, strategies, and management of inland areas affected by a protected natural area in the Campania region (Italy). Inland and rural areas, often affected by depopulation and economic decline, can and must be a crucial resource in the ecological transition. At a time when urbanisation is expected to increase, the bioeconomy offers a way to repopulate rural areas, promoting a transition to a more sustainable and inclusive production model and making the best use of the resources already present in the area. A significant example of the circular bioeconomy in action is the Campania region, which has been designated as a hub for a series of European projects currently underway that aim to integrate innovation, sustainability, and social inclusion. In this context, the area chosen is Roccamonfina, a volcanic area that has been inactive for thousands of years, with forests at the top and very fertile foothills. The area, which is part of the province of Caserta, one of the five provinces of the Campania Region (Italy), is characterised by a sparse human presence and by abandonment, in which local communities alone are unable to create conditions for sustainable development. The methodological approach starts from an analysis of the territory and gives priority to landscape, environmental, socio-economic, productive, and cultural characteristics, using a SWOT analysis. This approach aims to define policy scenarios to promote conditions for sustainable development. The results achieved in the study are designed to be scalable to similar areas.