Umbria regional official contests mountain municipality reclassification

Simona Meloni, the regional assessor for Agriculture, Forests, and Tourism in Umbria, has criticized a new reform by Minister Roberto Calderoli that reclassifies mountain municipalities. Under the new criteria, which took effect on July 22, the number of recognized mountain municipalities in Umbria has dropped from 91 to 57, excluding 34 territories from official status.

Meloni argues that relying solely on altitude and slope ignores critical factors such as soil fragility, economic instability, depopulation, and lack of essential services. The reduction in status threatens these areas' access to specific funding and regional benefits.

During a conference organized by Socialismo XXI Umbria in Spello, experts and officials discussed strategies to value the region's forest heritage. Proposed initiatives include introducing forest education in schools, developing a local wood-based energy supply chain, and implementing a ten-year urban forestry program to plant trees equivalent to 10% of the affected municipalities' populations to combat urban heat.