The rare species of Blue Lizard, the Shearwater, the Caretta caretta turtle and then again types of sharks and dolphins in the protection phase, the presence of the Monk Seal, but also a type of flower of the Cornflower family that grows here and is considered unique in the entire Mediterranean basin: her Majesty, "the Queen " as the inhabitants of Gallura call the island of Tavolara, on the north-east coast of Sardinia, is home to dozens of protected animal and plant species, many endangered . It is no coincidence that the island, together with a large slice of sea that surrounds it, is part of a Marine Protected Area, which has the task of preserving the environment without, however, completely excluding man who can visit and admire it. .
«Our task is to build a greater synergy between man and nature - explains the president of Amp Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo, Massimo Canu - we want to go more and more towards a protected marine area that has the conception of 'we', that is in which people know what is lawful to do, and only as a last resort does a sanction come about if the rules are violated. Although I believe that the sanctioning rates should be reviewed for those who break the rules within this area, increasing them and, where necessary, placing a sort of daspo for those who commit serious break-ins against this precious ecosystem".
The watchword is above all to raise awareness, also and above all of the new generations. «The same CNR has taken over a study from which it emerged that the 'Gallura brand' and the 'Costa Smeralda' brand, in the past year, were the driving factor of Sardinian tourism, - adds Canu - but this shouldn't push us towards commodification of Tavolara and the AMP, rather it must lead us to increase its protections».
Greater protections and therefore greater restrictions and prohibitions for visitors have already been in place since 31 July last year, when the staff of Amp Tavolara positioned cables and boxes in the depths along the coast of the island to prevent boats drop anchor on the underwater docks of posidonia , a protected plant, synonymous with cleanliness and healthiness of the seas, and a species to be protected because when it arrives on the sandy shores it prevents erosion. «We have been more restrictive in the distance from the shore precisely because we want people to get used to respecting the environment - adds the president of Amp Tavolara - even if in this month we have already been forced to repair the cables that had been cut. This is why I think that the tightening of the sanctions, with an increase in costs if one goes wrong inside the protected areas, is necessary and I will review the tariffs as far as I am concerned".
