The Protected Area About 230 hectares of the Marshes are protected as a Nature Reserve, recently established by the Provincial Administration of Pistoia (206 hectares) and Florence (25 hectares), whilst the remainder of the marshland basin lies in the bordering areas. The Province of Pistoia, whilst maintaining direct management of the protected area, has appointed the Centro di Ricerca, Documentazione e Promozione del Padule di Fucecchio (the Centre for Research, Documentation and Promotion of the Fucecchio Marshes) responsible for the fruition, use and technical-scientific supervision of the area, and the Consorzio di Bonifica del Padule di Fucecchio (Consortium for Reclamation of the Fucecchio Marshes) for environmental maintenance. Active management in the Reserve includes the control of infesting plants, habitat recovery of the open water areas and maintenance works to increase its fruition. The rules of the Nature Reserve forbid, among other things; shooting and fishing, reclamation, morphological changes, altering the water regime, introducing plants and animals, lighting fires and unauthorised aircraft flying over the area. Entry is forbidden to some of the more interior banks of the protected area, but there is always access to the "Le Morette" observation tower.