It was a busy night for the Barracellare Company of La Maddalena , which was busy until the early hours of yesterday morning combating illegal camping . Twelve fines were issued, ranging from €83 to €300, against those who had pitched tents or parked with unsuitable vehicles in areas of extraordinary environmental fragility , in Maddalena and Caprera, from Carlotto to Cala Garibaldi, from Bassa Trinità to Porto Palma.
The seemingly harmless phenomenon of free camping has serious consequences in an area within the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. The presence of tents and campers outside authorized campsites leads to waste, degradation of the Mediterranean scrub, disturbance to wildlife, and the risk of fires . In valuable coastal areas, even a small amount of unregulated activity can compromise unique habitats and accelerate soil erosion.
Captain Salvatore Perra expressed satisfaction with the volunteers' commitment, who, after their firefighting shift, continued their nighttime service to protect the landscape. This is a strong sign of local stewardship, at a time when tourism pressure is severely testing the islands' capacity for conservation. Meanwhile, the Municipality has announced a call for applications for twenty new aspiring barracelli, required to strengthen surveillance that is not just about repression, but also about protecting the natural heritage that makes La Maddalena unique in the Mediterranean.
