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Summary
of Site Visits to Some of Italy's Marine Protected Areas: Isole Egadi
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Isole Egadi
Many
have observed that the shape of the country of Italy reflects a boot
kicking a soccer ball, (and thus, why some claim it foretells why
Italy is so good at men’s soccer). With that imagery, the Egadi
Islands are tufts of turf in front of the advancing soccer ball. The
Egadi Islands marine protected area is comprised of a five-island archipelago
west of Sicily. It is the largest of the Italian marine protected areas,
largest in all Europe in fact, protecting 208 square miles and 46 miles of coastline (the tri-national “sanctuary” to
protect marine mammals in the Ligurian sea, significantly larger than
the Egadi Islands, is not technically considered a marine protected
area because it only focuses on marine mammals and not whole ecosystems.)
Map of Egadi Islands marine protected area, west of Sicily Italy.
Like
all other Italian marine protected areas, the Egadi Islands are totally
zoned, including two large Zone As (click
here for more information about Italian zoning of protected areas)
and the only “Zone D” within
Italian marine protected areas. The largest Zone A, on the west side
of Marettimo, the western most island in the archipelago, is about
3 square miles and the other around Maraone is about 1 square mile.
The Zone As and Zone Bs in the Egadi Islands offer special access
for island residents who are providing tours or guiding activities
allowed by the regulations.
There
have been a number of outreach programs instituted at the Egadi Islands marine protected area.
However the different socioeconomic bases on
the different islands and the varying expectations from each islands’ residents
about the marine protected area create challenges for effective management. Outreach programs to
educate the residents and the public that visit the islands reflect
those challenges.
Glorious azure seas of Marettimo Island, part of Egadi Islands marine protected
area.
Marettimo
has a remarkable lineage and linkage to Monterey. There are thousands
of Monterey residents, mostly from fishing families, who were born
on or whose matriarchs and patriarchs were born on Marettimo. The
main square in Marettimo, just above the harbor, is named “Piazzetta
Monterey” – Little Square of Monterey. There are residents
of Marettimo who own homes on the island and on the Monterey Peninsula.
The town’s museum includes news articles from the Monterey
Herald. And, virtually everyone on Marettimo today tells the story
of when then Monterey Mayor, Dan Albert, visited the island in 2000. They all describe Dan Albert as, “il mio amico”,
my friend, which is also a common thread between Marettimo
and Monterey.
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| Approx.
20 foot tour boat is dwarfed by brilliance and immensity of grotto
on Marettimo Island. |
Marettimo
in particular has dozens of remarkable caves that small tour boats
(30 ft.) can enter. Touring these “grottoes” is
an ever-growing eco-tourism opportunity for fishermen who no
longer have fisheries to sustain a year-round living catching fish. The
stunningly clear, blue and emerald waters around Marettimo and
the other islands make them popular summer tourism destinations. Increasing
challenges are faced by the marine protected area and the citizens
on Marettimo who lack a written plan about how much growth and
what kind of growth, if any, should be allowed to support the increasing
number of tourists. Basic infrastructure is lacking on Marettimo,
such as roads and water, and housing is at a remarkable premium.
Nearly all of Marettimo is undeveloped; it has beautiful forests
covering the 5,000 ft. tall mountain peaks and is a critical
migratory bird pathway between Europe and Africa.
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| Hawks migrating from central Europe to Africa seek thermals above
Marettimo Island. |
Opportunities
remain to resolve, including how to incorporate an old lighthouse
on one side of the island and an 800 year old castle on the other side – of
the many ideas shared, several include making one or both
visitor centers for the marine protected area or using one or both as part
of a research institution to study the marine biology or archaeology of the
marine protected area. Some residents have advocated for a dialogue with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to help with the future
planning, given the close relationship Marettimo and Monterey hold to each
other, and given that both Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctaury and
Egadi Islands marine protected area are their countries’ largest
often faced with similar problems of resource protection and
resource use.
For
more information on Egadi Islands marine protected area, go to: http://www.ampegadi.it/home.htm
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