“More controls at sea to protect the protected area”. The appeal from the Punta Campanella MPA

Too many violations of the regulations, illegal spearfishing, and jewels like Crapolla and Isca that need to be preserved. The Director of the Marine Park, Alberico Simioli, raises the alarm: "More resources, manpower, and equipment are needed to monitor and punish those who don't follow the rules. Only in this way can we aim for a truly sustainable future."

A summer that is already announcing itself as hot in the Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella, between the gulfs of Naples and Salerno, in a highly anthropized area and stormed in the summer months by boats and tourists, who crowd the sea between the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts.

The Director of the Marine Park, Alberico Simioli, raised the alarm: "More controls are needed at sea. Identify and punish those who do not respect the regulations of the MPA, the sea and the environment".
Transit of boats in prohibited areas, anchoring on Posidonia meadows, illegal underwater fishing in some sites rich in biodiversity. Also abandonment of waste in characteristic coves and fjords, as in Crapolla in recent days.

These are the most frequent threats for a site protected since 1997 and which, thanks to the presence of the Park, has maintained over the years, despite strong human pressure, a high level of biodiversity and characteristics that make it a naturalistic jewel of great value, so much so that national and international commissions, after in-depth analyses, have promoted it and then confirmed it twice as an Aspim area, Specially Protected Area of ​​Mediterranean Interest.

Throughout the month of June, the Punta Campanella MPA launched a series of messages on social media, raising awareness among boaters and visitors about the importance of respecting the Park's rules. Letters were also sent to the Police to ask for a crackdown on those who still break the MPA rules.

"Now we need to increase the presence and surveillance in the area. Give a strong signal. We know that even the Police Forces have a lack of personnel and resources and often have to deal with safety at sea. And for this reason we ask that they be provided with adequate resources to control a large area, so frequented and anthropized as our Marine Protected Area - adds Simioli - We are a Marine Park that has different needs compared to others, more isolated from large urban areas and far from tourist flows.

Here there is a need for a constant and widespread presence to put a stop to illegality and protect a great naturalistic and environmental heritage, which the entire world envies us. We have already asked for a greater effort from the Police Forces and we thank them for the precious work they do every day, but they need to be supported and supplied with what is necessary, if we really want to defend the protected sea”

The Marine Park's attention is not only directed to the sea, but also to sites considered true jewels of the area, such as the Crapolla Fiord or the islet of Isca, once owned by Eduardo De Filippo and purchased a few months ago by entrepreneurs from Positano.
“We will remain vigilant against any type of speculative intervention that could in any way alter the characteristics of these places, which fall within zone B, the general protection of the Punta Campanella MPA,” Simioli emphasizes. “Last summer, the Corsican Gull nested on Isca, a prized species protected by European directives.

This year 34 specimens were sighted on the cliff in front of the islet, next to Crapolla. We have a duty to preserve sites of this historical and environmental importance.”
Protecting the area as best as possible, but also making it usable in a sustainable way and with the least possible impact. This is the strategy for looking to the future, towards an ecological transition of the territory and of those who live and frequent this sea.
'Together with President Cacace, the Board of Directors and the staff, we have many ideas and projects in the pipeline to push the entire area towards a green, sustainable model, with an energy community in the Park for electric motors, the fight against marine waste, monitoring sea temperatures and other initiatives aimed at a true ecological transition.

But first of all, the area needs to be adequately protected. “Defending the protected sea is essential to look forward, to a sustainable future for the entire area,” concludes Simioli. “We will do our part and we will give it our all. For next summer, we are thinking of a system that will make all the boats that enter the Marine Protected Area identifiable, in order to control them better. But we need the support of Bodies, Institutions and the constant presence of the Police. Only in this way will we be able to ensure a future for the rich biodiversity of the Park, for jewels like Crapolla, Ieranto, Vervece and many others, and aim decisively towards a turning point, a green model, a blue economy for the Marine Area and the two coasts.”