From Greece to Italy to Spain, a July The set fire they burned the forests in Europe. High temperatures, strong winds, drought and dry vegetation are among the causes that have made the fires so stubborn and widespread, threatening forests also in Croatia and Portugal. The Mediterranean is on fire, and the fire has also broken out in North Africa, Algeria and Tunisia. A climate and environmental crisis that cannot be tackled only with an approach based on emergency management: for the prevention of fires, instability and natural disasters, land control and forest management are essential.
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L’Ispra (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) photographed this situation with his own report on forest ecosystems. in the update of August 8, we read that the areas affected by large forest fires they increased reaching 59,000 hectares (ha), of which over 9,400 of forest ecosystems: those most affected are portions of Mediterranean maquis and holm oak woods (63%) and surfaces covered by woods and reforestation of conifers (20%).
Ispra points out that 93% of the areas burned so far include territories of the Sicily (75%) and of the Calabria (18%). “The province of Palermo is the most impacted (over 15,500 ha, of which 20% forests), followed by the province of Reggio Calabria (8,500 ha, 18% of forests), the province of Messina (5,200 ha, 19 % of forests) and the province of Syracuse (4,200 ha, 24% forests)”, reads the report. The institute also adds that from 5 to 7 August also the Sardinia it has been affected by numerous fires that have had a relatively limited impact on forest ecosystems. The most affected areas of the eastern sector of the island are those of the municipalities of the province of Nuoro (Gairo, Posada and Siniscola) and of the province of Southern Sardinia (Castiadas and Muravera).
Legambiente he denounced this situation, underlining that the flames are threatening the peninsula’s biodiversity and inhabited centres. The problem of fires worsens during the summer, with some regions deeply affected such as Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia, but affects the country throughout the year: as the environmental association recalls, from January 2023 to July 27 they burned 51,386 hectares equivalent to 73,408 football pitches. More in detail, “most of the hectares that went up in smoke, a good 41,365 (equal to 80%), burned in Sicily, followed by Calabria, 7,390 hectares, Puglia 1,456 hectares and Abruzzo 284 hectares”. Often it is about arsonpoints out the environmental association which recalls the data of 2022 when 5,207 were ascertained crimes for arson, negligence and generic fires: Calabria and Sicily are at the top of the 2022 ranking of the regions most affected by arson actions, with 611 and 544 disputed crimes respectively. Lazio follows in third place with 479, Tuscany with 441 and Lombardy, which passes from tenth to fifth with 415.
If we look even further back in time, continues Legambiente, from 2018 to 2022 in Sicily there were 2,938 crimes ascertained for arson, negligence and generic fires, 191,386 hectares of wooded area that did not go up in smoke: Palermo (677), Messina (605) and Catania (444) the cities with the most offenses. In Calabria from 2018 to 2022 there were 2,709 confirmed crimes of this type, 63,196.30 hectares of wooded area and not covered by flames: Cosenza (1652), Catanzaro (454) and Crotone (412) the cities where they were registered more illicit.
This is why Legambiente underlines the need for greater prevention, on several levels, also by defining a single subject such as the national Civil Protection to manage forest fires in an integrated manner, and ensuring greater coordination between the institutions and the actors involved. Furthermore, according to the environmental association, more severe penalties are needed by extending those provided for by the Penal Code for the crime of forest fire to any type of vegetation fire. And we need to improve the system for collecting, analyzing and sharing data on fires in Italy through technological investments and regulatory simplifications.