The year 2024 confirms itself as an annus horribilis for the Italian sea and coasts. According to
The picture remains dominated by regions with a traditional mafia presence: Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Calabria alone concentrate more than half of all criminal offences (12,663). Campania leads the way with 4,208 offences, followed by Sicily (3,155), Puglia (2,867) and Calabria (2,433).
The illegal cement cycle
Cement continues to be the number one threat to legality on the coast: 10,332 crimes, or 41.2 per cent of the total. Between illegal construction, illegal occupation of state property and outlawed quarries, Campania leads with 1,840 violations, followed by Puglia (1,219), Sicily (1,180) and Tuscany (946). Added to these numbers are more than two thousand people reported, four arrests and hundreds of seizures.
The most worrying growth is on the pollution front: 7,925 crimes in 2024, up 24.4 per cent from the previous year. These are mainly non-existent or malfunctioning sewage treatment plants, illegal discharges and illicit spills. Campania once again tops the list (1,264 crimes), followed by Calabria (1,137), Puglia (936) and Sardinia (794).
One in five offences involves illegal fishing: 4,553 offences, or 18.2 per cent of the total. Sicily is the most affected region (898 violations), followed by Puglia (567) and Liguria (564). Sicily also leads by quantity of product seized, with more than 343 tonnes of fish stopped before entering markets.
Even boating does not escape the boom in illegality. There were 2,253 (+9.4 percent) violations of the Navigation and Boating Code, often even inside protected areas. Campania led the way with 744 cases, ahead of Sicily (378) and Sardinia (252).
The proposals
To reverse course, Legambiente relaunches a package of ten priorities. These include reinstating the rule that gives prefects the task of demolishing building abuses not demolished by municipalities, structural funds to finance demolitions, completion of sewage and purification systems, and more effective regulations against illegal fishing and illegal dumping.
“On the 15th anniversary of the killing of Angelo Vassallo,” recalls Stefano Ciafani, president of Legambiente, “we are returning to honour his courage in combating speculation and illegality, bringing to attention data and stories that tell of the growing siege on our coasts. Our marine ecosystem needs a decisive change of pace.”
The report was released on the eve of celebrations for Angelo Vassallo, the fisherman mayor of Pollica who was killed in 2010. An award is also named after him for administrations that distinguish themselves in defending the environment and legality.
