Italia Nostra, La Maddalena chapter, weighs in on the pressure from boats and visitors in the archipelago. Lucia Spanu: "The Ministry hadn't rejected the increase in fines."
Too many boats, ever-increasing human pressure on the islands and waters of the archipelago, and a system of controls that, especially during peak periods, is considered insufficient. These issues have reignited the debate over the protection of La Maddalena National Park. Also at the center of the discussion is the level of fines, which many consider too low to be a real deterrent.
In recent days, the park's president, Rosanna Giudice, has specifically identified inspections and fines as priorities. "The problem of inspections and paltry fines remains," she stated on the park's official website. "Our commitment, now together with the Region, will be to ensure the Ministry listens to our concerns so that solutions can be found." For Giudice, the way forward is not to introduce new restrictions, but to ensure a more effective inspection network and higher fines.
Lucia Spanu, president of the Maddalena chapter of Italia Nostra and former member of the National Park's board of directors under Fabrizio Fonnesu, intervenes on this point, citing a measure adopted by that administration.
"Since we couldn't directly intervene in the control system," he recalls, "we had worked on sanctions, preparing a new table with significantly higher amounts." The proposal, with increases of up to tenfold, was unanimously approved by the board of directors in mid-July 2023 and sent to the Ministry of the Environment for approval.
According to Spanu, who had since resigned along with the board, due to the end of President Fonnesu's term, no rejection had been received from Rome. The Ministry had instead requested further clarification and documentation to justify the increases, including in relation to the environmental damage caused by the violations.
With the resignation of the previous board of directors, the process was not concluded. "That avenue, however, was not closed," Spanu emphasizes. "If the Ministry had left a glimmer of hope, I believe the current board can take up the matter again and move it forward."