Background The project explored the possibility of integrating local Agenda 21 and EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit System) activities in a wide territorial area incorporating Italy’s Parco Nazionale Dolomiti and the surrounding municipalities. Objectives The AGEMAS project set out to identify an appropriate management and organisational model to promote EMAS registration for wide areas. The environmental auditing project aimed to obtain EMAS registration for a distinct territory covering 32 000 ha with some 62 000 inhabitants. This included defining the National Park Authority’s functions as an 'agency for sustainable development'. Long term sustainability was proposed via transfer of the project activities to surrounding municipalities and 12 of these were already involved in the Agenda 21 process. Additionally, the project planned to examine options for exporting the model to other areas. Results The AGEMAS project achieved its objectives in terms of undertaking all the work involved in gaining EMAS registration for the target area. However, it was unable to secure a registration since the wide area concept was highly innovative and could not fit with the Italian EMAS Committee’s existing procedures (that did not include wide areas in the list of organisations that can be registered). An interim solution has been agreed, since the National Park Authority now has defined new functions as a sustainable development agent for territory wider that its own borders, which formally states that the LIFE beneficiary can lead an Environmental Management System for the project area and the different sectors involved. Key outputs from the LIFE project work included design and activation of the complete Environmental Management System for the target area. This innovative spatial planning tool involves assessing and coordinating management decisions for different environmental and socio-economic factors such as: Air, water, landscape and soil quality; Agricultural, food and handcrafted products; Noise control, waste management and energy saving; as well as Sustainable tourism, transport and other services. AGEMAS’ innovative aspects were: Defining a new function for Park authorities as sustainability "agents" for a territory wider that its own borders; Integrating Agenda 21 processes with common EMAS ones obtaining a satisfactory cost/benefit ratio; Stimulating small to medium sized municipalities to commit to EMAS registration, and enhancing existing cooperation between them; Developing criteria for the definition of a wide area EMS and modality for its implementation incorporating all actors present in the territory; and Starting a cooperative process that permits the strengthening of competences and planning sectors.Municipalities have played, and continue to play, important roles in the delivery of this complete Environmental Management System through their individual commitments to the EMAS registration process and the project’s Quality Chart (used as an incentive for economic entities to participate in the process of continuous improvement of the environment, in compliance with EMAS standards by granting the Park logo to agricultural food and craftsman products, to tourist, catering or commercial services.) A strong project partnership and positive links between all the local stakeholders represent another important result from the innovative project, which has highlighted the synergetic effectiveness from sharing procedures and integrating several existing environmental management instruments. Socio-economic benefits include an anticipated boost to tourism from improved coordination throughout the project area, and its promotion as an eco-tourism destination. Resource efficiencies from EMAS-related water and energy savings are expected to have a considerable area-wide impact as will initiatives to minimise and reuse wastes. The National Park Authority hopes to achieve formal EMAS registration following revision of the current EMAS Regulation. In the meantime, a large amount of support has been budgeted to implement ongoing activities within the LIFE-funded complete Environmental Management System. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section). This project has been selected as one of the 17 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2008-2009.