Environmental protection by means of (“Great”) vitiviniculture zonation

In the paper is discussed the first example of environmental protection, agreed in a wide-term sense, by means of vitiviniculture zonations performed in Istria (Croatia) in the area of Butoniga lake, following a methodology of “Great zonation” (Cargnello G. 1998). For vitiviniculture zonation of this area we started from social and economic considerations, to come later on technical, as for example those related to “terroir”. This not only because in this area, aspects of human and animal water supply and protection were fundamental, but also because this operation model is predicted in “Great zonation”. Therefore, as always should be done, zonation descended primarily from social and economic aspects. This set out allowed to emphasise that for example some soils and microclimates not particularly suitable for wine growing according to standards expressed through “pedology” and “climatology”, if considered from the economic and social level can results particularly propitious for wine growing and vice versa. In the present paper are shown results related to environmental protection through zonation (“Great zonation”) in an relevant area in Istria from social and economic point of view. Location and valorisation of vitivinicultural “terroir” should by every mean, in our opinion, descend from and harmonise with social and economic aspects, and thus with “Great” regulatory plan, agricultural, viticultural and vitivinicultural.