Italian coastline conservation could give economic boost

(ANSA) - Rome, April 5 - Marine conservation pays and protecting Italy's coastlines could provide an economic boost during the widespread crisis, a study by Plos One magazine said on Friday. A pan-European sea-conservation initiative that has established 18 proposals to be carried out by 2020 asks EU member states to apply the measures to at least 10% of their coastlines. The Plos One study said that Italy has three areas of particular concern - the Strait of Sicily, the northern stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea coast and the northern Adriatic Sea coast are among the areas of the Mediterranean that need prioritized efforts.
"Protected marine areas under the proper management are an asset to the economy, with benefits that would go to a large number of professionals, starting with fishermen," Simonetta Fraschetti from Salento University said. Fraschetti was one of the 12 Italian committee members who participated in studies for the EU initiative.