In Italy, people are less concerned for their environment than some of their neighbors on the continent who have strict laws regarding things like recycling.

On problem is that there are many people who have lived in Italy for a very long time. It is after all one of the ancient centers of civilization. Even though the original forests of Italy are long gone, major re-planting efforts made in the early 1980s have been helpful. Still, when mudslides killed several hundred people near Sarno, south of Naples, environmentalists said that they happened because too much land has been built on and too many forests have been cut down. And the Italian government itself is a little famous for being inefficient about just about everything.

Little of the original, large animal life still exists in Italy, but the chamois and the ibex-two goat-like antelopes-are both protected in Gran Paradiso National Park in the Valle d'Aosta region. There are a few other national parks that protect wolves, bears and other animals that are at risk of extinction, such as the otter and the lynx.

Since environmental catastrophe is a worldwide threat, large, international organizations are helping local, environmental institutions to preserve the Italian ecosystem. For example, these institutions are now educating people to respect nature and make them aware of the consequences of careless dumping of trash. They are also teaching people about the danger of toxic fumes that are produced by industry. Fortunately, many schools in Italy have begun to offer a new subject to study: environmental education. Students don't study about this in books, but rather, they take trips to nature spots and ask their teachers questions directly, on the spot. But just like anywhere else, environmental awareness needs to be taught by example, at home, and Italians, just like many people in the world today, are becoming more and more conscious about these issues.