Arma dei Carabinieri - Comando Unità per la Tutela Forestale, Ambientale e Agroalimentare Carabinieri

The Comando Unità per la Tutela Forestale, Ambientale e Agroalimentare (CUTFAA) is a military unit of Arma dei Carabinieri (Carabinieri Army or merely Carabinieri). The CUTFAA according to the decree 177/2016 exercises all the functions previously carried out by the National Forest Service (CFS) which was incorporated in the Arma dei Carabinieri. In fact Carabinieri succeeds in all legal assets and liabilities of formerly Corpo Forestale dello Stato (CFS). CUTFAA is commanded by a General appointed by the Commander of the Carabinieri: at the current time General di Corpo d’Armata Antonio Ricciardi appointed by General Commander Tullio Del Sette on 19 October 2016 (prot. N. 3840).
CUTFAA is committed by national laws of prevention and suppression of environmental crimes, surveillance on the territories of protected natural areas, management of State natural reserves and CUTFAA contributes to protection and monitoring of the national habitat, fauna and flora. The CUTFAA manages 130 nature reserves and state forests covering a total area of approximately 130,000 ha from the Alps in the north to Calabria in the south, which represent the green backbone of Italy where stunning nature of unmatched beauty is protected.
Since 1992, various projects for the conservation of habitat and endangered indigenous species representative of the European Union have been funded through LIFE projects with CUTFAA (formerly CFS) as coordinating or associated beneficiary. The CUTFAA is a branch which operates directly in the reserves’ territories through its 28 Reparti Carabinieri Biodiversità carrying out projects aimed at the conservation and improvement of natural environments and introducing sustainable forestry management systems.