cillegal ement, pollution and bad purification, poaching: with an increase of +3.2% compared to 2021, there are 19,530 environmental crimes ascertained in 2022 along the coasts of Italy. But if the impact of the illegality that puts the Italian sea in check growsalso significantly increases the control activity carried out by the Port Authorities and by the forces of order.
environmental crimes, Mare Monster of Legambiente
As every year the numbers of Legambiente’s “Mare Monstrum” report they return a precise “photograph” of the main phenomena of aggression to the natural heritage of the coastal regions. And the situation that emerges is not rosy at all.
Of the 19,530 abuses discovered, the illegal cement cycleor from occupations of maritime state property to illegal quarries, from illegal tenders for public works to illegal building, alone accounts for 52.9% of crimes (10,337). The various phenomena of illegality follow, from bad purification to waste disposal which Legambiente classifies under the heading of “polluted sea”, with 4,730 criminal offenses and from poaching, with 3,839 offences.
Adding up crimes and administrative offenses in Italy, it has been ascertained, thanks to over one million checks and illegal tenders in public works, an average of 8.7 infringements per kilometer of coastline, one every 115 metres.
The Legambiente report captures a not so rosy situation on the Italian coasts (Photo by Marco Cantile/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Fewer complaints and arrests
It decreasesalbeit slightly, -4%, the number of people arrested and reported, are 19,658. And, more significantly, that of kidnappings, 3,590 with a reduction of -43.3%. The economic impact of the activity carried out by the port authorities and the police forces, between the value of the seizures and administrative sanctions, was over 486 million euros.
Illicit and environmental crimes Campania in the lead
48.7% of the crimes were ascertained in the four regions with a traditional mafia presence, with Campania which leads the national ranking with 3,345 crimes, equal to 17.1% of the national total. Follows the Puglia with 2,492 crimes, the Sicily with 2,184, the Lazio with 1.741 and the Calabria with 1,490 offences.
There Tuscany is in sixth position as criminal offenses, 1,442, but is in second place after the Campania as administrative offences, 4,392, followed by Sicily, with 4,192 offenses and as many as 8,712 sanctions. There Basilicata is confirmed as the first region in terms of number of crimes and administrative offenses ascertained per kilometer of coast, followed this year by Emilia Romagna, Molise, Abruzzo And Veneto.
Legambiente’s proposals
Legambienteconstantly engaged in monitoring and volunteering activities made eight precise proposals to more effectively protect the extraordinary environmental heritage of the beautiful country.
The first is of restore the effectiveness of the art. 10bis of law 120/2020 which entrusts the Prefects with the task of demolishing illegal buildings subject to abatement orders issued but not carried out by the Municipalities.
Watch out for state property and sewage systems
Second point, strengthen the activity of contrasting the abusive occupations of the maritime state property. This in order to restore legality, guarantee, where possible, its public use and protect its integrity, also from an environmental point of view.
Third point, relaunch at national level and on a local scale the construction and adaptation and/or compliance of the sewage and purification systems. It would mean generally improving the entire management system, integrating the water cycle (sewerage and purification) with that of waste (sludge management from 3 purification).
Furthermore, make wastewater purification more efficientenhancing them as a resource and allowing their complete reuse in strategic sectors such as agriculture, overcoming national regulatory obstacles.
More efficient controls and prevention
Improve and make controls more efficient of the regional environmental protection agencies networked in the National Environmental Protection System coordinated by Ispra (SNPA). The system, in fact, which has already been conceived, still awaits the implementing decrees to make the reform operational as soon as possible.
And again, regulate strictly discharge of liquid waste into the sea by establishing, for example, special zones forbidding any type of 6 discharge, even beyond 12 miles from the coast. Promote active policies for prevention in the production of waste and for the best protection 7 of the sea and the coast. And last but not least, toadopt adequate regulatory measures against illegal fishingundeclared and undocumented, so as to ensure the effective protection of the fished species and the marine ecosystem.
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