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identity, often characterized by unique
traditions.
Therefore it is important finding a balance
between tourism and resident population,
which encourages local job thus avoiding
depopulation and the invasive use of
natural resources that may seriously affect
their integrity.
Unfortunately, the number of residents
have suffered a significant decrease over
the last few decades: data available from
1971 to now show a steady reduction until
2001 and an arrest of this trend from 2001
onwards (Figure 1).
FIGURE 1 Demographic trends 1971-2011
Source: Urbistat, 2011
Since 2001, albeit with some fluctuations,
this trend has essentially stopped.
Another worrying phenomenon is the
aging of population. The old age index -i.e.,
(Population> 65 years/Population 0-14 years)
* 100– in 2011 in Favignana was 295.07, a
figure much higher than both the average
value of 144.5 scored in Italy in 2011 (source: thousands of people in the island and
Tuttitalia.it ISTAT data) and, on average, the
values reported for southern Italy, that are
lower than those of the center-north.
These data lead us to reflect on the
aging of population, which could cause
a gradual depopulation of the islands
despite the considerable presence of
production activities related to tourism.
10 EAI Energia, Ambiente e Innovazione 4/2015
However, the seasonal nature of most of
these activities produces phenomena of
temporary residence. Indeed, except for
the summer months, during the rest of the
year the opportunity to work in the islands
is very limited.
This has gradually produced a process of
emigration, which contributed to the aging
of population along with the fact that a large
amount of Favignana residents spends
most of the year elsewhere, also because
of the reckless general rise of prices
associated to tourism, heavily impacting
on the budgets of the islanders’ families.
Depopulation and aging have mostly
been affected by the phenomenon of
disappearance of traditional activities,
such as tuna killings (“mattanze”) and
the extraction of material from clay pits,
in addition to farming and agriculture.
Moreover, in the past, the identity and
economy of Favignana were tied to
Florio’s family through the Florio factory
(the second industrial structure born
in Italy after Fiat), which employed
was dedicated to the entire production
chain for tuna products. These activities
could completely cover the islanders’ job
demand also attracting labourers from
outside to reach the 10,000 permanent
residents only in Favignana.
Tourist-driven pressures
The three major Egadi islands are faced
with all the typical problems of restricted
and isolated areas. To these are added
those resulting from pressure on the
environment by services arising from
the summer tourist flow when, in August,
the only island of Favignana is home to
about 60,000 people daily, compared
to a resident population of about 4,500
people. These numbers are especially