| Erminio Sipari | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 1, 1879 Alvito, Italy |
| Died | January 28, 1968 (aged 88) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Engineer, naturalist, politician and writer |
| Spouse | Zelmira Galleano(1881-1971) (m. 1881–1971) |
| Children | Gianfranco (1919 – 2005) and Maria Cristina (1921 – 2008) |
| Parents | Carmelo Sipari and Cristina Cappelli |
Erminio Sipari (1° December 1879 – 28 January 1968) was an Italian politician and naturalist, author of studies on the preservation of nature and founder of Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, which he chaired from 1922 to 1933.[1]
Sipari was born in Alvito, Lazio. His family, well known in the southern Italy, had many properties in Terra di Lavoro, Abruzzo and Puglia. His father was the brother of Luisa Sipari, mother of Benedetto Croce, and his mother, Cristina Cappelli, came from a noble family. Erminio studied in Rome and graduated in civil engineering at Turin; then he specialized in electrical engineering in Liège. Back in Italy in 1905, he has opened an engineering firm, based in Rome and Pescasseroli.
In 1913, when he was elected in the Italian Parliament, he realized the real danger of extinction of important species, such as the Abruzzo's chamois and Marsican brown bear. Since then he has proposed the creation of a park in the Marsica's area. In 1921 he was appointed Undersecretary of State to the Italian Navy. In the same year, he founded the "Ente Autonomo of the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo", who leased 5 square kilometres of land to be protected in the territory of Opi. In September 1922 Sipari opened the Park in Pescasseroli.[2] After, the park was recognized by Italian law (January 1923).
As president, Sipari argues that the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo must protect fauna and flora, but also allow the birth of tourism. He was able to create and manage a park based on sustainable development. He has written numerous articles on the birth of the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo and a comprehensive report, called Relazione Sipari (1926), who's considered the main poster on the nature conservation in Italy.[3]