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• History of the existing initiative (how and why it was established)
The MPA was established by the Ministry of the Environment in 1991 according to the Italian Law for
the Defence of the Sea (L. 979/1986, modified by decree, August 6th, 1993 and decree, May 17th,
1996).
The designation of Egadi Islands as MPA was not a result of rigorous scientific research, but rather
because of political perceptions and negotiated decisions with a small amount of scientific information
describing the ecological components of the system. In the Egadi Islands, the main proponents of the
MPA were local environmental groups that successfully lobbied the Ministry of Environment to create
a protected area to eliminate the threat of oil drilling in local waters. Local residents and fishermen
were not given the opportunity to comment on MPA design and most have been obstinately opposed
to its existence from the beginning.
Also the boundaries of the reserve and its differential zones were drawn to be “politically” acceptable.
Some scientific input necessarily was included placing zones composed of the strictest regulations in
ecologically valuable areas, which also happened to be historically profitable fishing grounds.
To date, few biological studies have examined the effectiveness of the Egadi reserve in terms of its
ability to increase the biomass of local marine organisms. Furthermore, minimal work has been done
to determine the economic impacts and very few studies has been done on the socio-cultural impacts
of the marine reserve on local stakeholders.
At inception, the Egadi MPA was established to get six stated objectives: (1) protect the local
environment, (2) protect the local biological resources, (3) educate the public about the unique
characteristics of local waters, (4) support scientific research, (5) increase the understanding and
protection of local archaeological resources, and (6) promote socio-economic development connected
to the environmental importance of the area.
To reach the above objectives the regulation of the Egadi MPA provides varying levels of restriction
in the use of the marine area. Zone A can be considered a no-take/no-entry area where only permitted
research can take place. Zone B allows only general non-consumptive uses (e.g., swimming, boating
beyond 500 m from the coast). In Zone C, all non-consumptive uses and permitted recreational and
commercial fishing are allowed, with the exception of trawling. In Zone D, all activity is allowed; only
trawling has limitations. In the last two years several attempts to eliminate the trawling restrictions
into the D zone of the MPA have been done.
According to IUCN guidelines on protected area (Dudley, 2008), Egadi MPA is a Natural Marine
Protected Area belonging to IV management category. From nature conservation view the Egadi MPA
includes a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) but it is not a
Special Area of Conservation (SAC) yet.
Since 2011 Egadi MPA and the Natura 2000 (SPAs, SCIs) sites are “spatially nested” in the area of
the Trapani Local Management Plan for fisheries (Figure 3).
To date, no management plan has been drafted for the Egadi MPA.
• Competent authority/authorities (eg which government authority is in charge of the existing
initiative, and collaborating national/local authorities).
After being managed by the Coast Guard from 1991 to 2000, management responsibility was
transferred to the local government in 2001 (decree January 16th, 2001). The MPA’s management
body is currently the city government of Favignana. The local mayor is the official President of the
MPA and has responsibility of insuring the presence of a MPA director, an advisory board, and that
the MPA is being successfully managed.
The Trapani Harbor Master’s Office has the responsibility for enforcement of the regulatory
framework of the MPA and all relevant regional and national fishing regulations.

• Main sectors and stakeholder groups involved in the initiative
- Sectors
Professional and recreational fishing
Tourism
Nature and cultural heritage
Instruction and education
Research

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