Global Changes, Coastal Areas And Conflicts: Experiences From Italy

Three cases of environmental conflicts occurring in Italian coastal areas are analysed in the present chapter: Civitavecchia, Costa Teatina National Park and Ostia. Civitavecchia and Ostia are included in the Rome Metropolitan Area, while the Costa Teatina National Park is in the Chieti-Pescara urban area. In Civitavecchia the major conflict is environmental: about air quality and pollution due to the presence of two power stations close to the city centre and the mooring of cruise ships. The second conflict is about the use and management of water and the processing of waste water and drainage systems in Ostia, besides coastal erosion. The third conflict is linked to the spatial definition of the boundaries of the Costa Teatina National Park. The current conflict concerns the definition of the spatial boundaries of the park even if bias against the existence of the Park itself does exist. All the three conflicts concern the contrast between economic development and environmental protection. The first and the second also include competition for the use of resources at a time characterized by extensive human mobility. The third case study specifically concerns conflicts occurring over the protection of the natural environment and biodiversity. It will be shown that those conflicts are chronic, critical for the development of the concerned areas, and their solutions are urgently needed.