Italy Launches National Carbon Registry to Boost Forest Protection

Italy is stepping up its environmental efforts with the launch of a national registry for voluntary carbon credits, a move designed to protect its ten million hectares of forests and improve transparency in how carbon reduction is tracked and verified.

View over newly planted saplings in Foresta della Sila, Calabria — Italy’s biggest forest. AI generated picture.

The initiative was announced through a decree signed by Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida and Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, establishing the National Registry of Voluntary Carbon Credits (Registro nazionale dei crediti di Carbonio volontari). The new system will create a single framework for approving and monitoring forest-based carbon projects across the country.

‘This is a step forward in combating greenwashing and caring for the environment with facts, not slogans’, said Lollobrigida. ‘The carbon credit registry can become operational today. It is an essential tool for revitalising the management of Italy's forests by combining private efforts with public interest.’

To qualify, projects must deliver measurable improvements in forest management, exceed existing regulations, and ensure long-term benefits lasting at least 20 years. Oversight will be handled by CREA—Italy’s Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics—which specialises in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

‘The operation of the register places the role of CREA at the forefront, as the registry's management body, given its experience in the field and its strong expertise in analysis, practices, and methodologies’, said CREA President Andrea Rocchi. He noted that the organisation is working to make the registry fully operational by 2026, in coordination with Italy’s National Forestry Information System.

Italy’s decision to launch its own carbon credit registry follows a growing European trend toward national oversight of voluntary carbon markets. Just last month, Spain’s Galicia region announced a €6 million plan to create its own carbon credit system, reflecting a broader move to strengthen local governance in carbon trading.

With this step, Italy aims to protect its forests while ensuring that carbon credits generated within its borders meet the highest standards of integrity and transparency—bridging nature protection with measurable environmental action.