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Data and code from: Mapping italy's sacred natural sites to support the establishment of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMS)

Ricci, Lorenzo1; Zannini, Piero1; Di Musciano, Michele2; Rondinini, Carlo3; Di Marco, Moreno3; Santini, Luca3; Pacifici, Michela3; Lussu, Michele1; Rocchini, Duccio1; Frascaroli, Fabrizio1; Chiarucci, Alessandro1

Published Jun 18, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8gtht772z

Data files

Jun 18, 2026 version files 5.65 MB

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Abstract

Aim
Sacred natural sites (SNS) are culturally governed places that often retain remnants of natural vegetation, safeguard species of conservation concern, and maintain landscape continuity, positioning them as potential Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Despite increasing ecological interest, national datasets remain unavailable, limiting reproducibility of studies and preventing systematic evaluation of SNS as OECMs. Here we release the first harmonized, openly accessible, geospatial inventory of SNS in Italy, comprising 2,332 records. The dataset provides detailed information on the types of SNS, their ecological attributes, and their landscape context, offering a valuable resource for biodiversity conservation as well as research in biogeography, landscape ecology, and biocultural science.

Location
Italy.

Feature
SNS of Catholic tradition (e.g., shrines, hermitages, monasteries, chapels, pilgrimage sites, groves, springs).

Results
The dataset contains 2,332 georeferenced SNS distributed across Italy, mainly concentrated in central and northern regions. Only a small proportion of SNS occur within protected areas (17%), with the majority corresponding to sites lacking an assigned IUCN category (38%). SNS are predominantly situated at low to mid elevations (mean = 458 m, SD = 343 m) and in landscapes dominated by agricultural (45%) and natural land covers (38%). Their climatic space overlaps with, but extends beyond, that encompassed by the protected area network, indicating potential complementarity in conservation representation.

Main Conclusions
This dataset provides a foundational resource for assessing SNS as potential OECMs, quantifying their ecological contexts, and integrating biocultural heritage into conservation planning, including pathways toward 30 x 30 implementation.