Page 3 - HimesAH(2007)

This paper addresses these issues by first describing a case study in north­western Sicily,
Italy and the methodology used in a study undertaken to study the local fishing industry and
fishers’ opinions of MPA management in the Egadi Islands Marine Reserve (EIMR). Following
this, the results of two surveys conducted in the Egadi Islands are reported and discussed.

Study Area

Sicily is perhaps the ideal setting for an examination of the evolution and performance of
MPAs in Italy and the Mediterranean. There is tremendous diversity in the types of marine
resources that its MPAs protect and in the degree to which each has achieved that protection.
The EIMR was chosen as the key case study for the present research due to its dramatic
history, the poor level of performance o f the MPA, the large variet y o f interested stakeho lders,
and its placement in the poorest region of a highly developed country.

The Egadi Islands are located directly west of the city of Trapani at the western­most
point of Sicily (figure 1). The EIMR was created around the Islands in 1991, one of 23
planned for establishment off the coast of Italy by the Law for the Defense of the Sea
(L979/1986 Legge per la Difesa del Mare). The MPA stretches westward off the coast of
Trapani encoMPAssing three islands, Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo, and two rocky
outcroppings, Formica and Maraone. It covers approximately 54,000 ha, divided into four
zones ranging from two no­take areas to zones with minimal restrictions, and 22 kilometres
of protected coastline. It is the largest MPA established in Italy to date and the second largest
MPA in the Mediterranean.

With many residents dependent on fishing and marine resources (e.g. tourism,
boating) for their livelihoods and survival as an isolated communit y, the people of the Egadi
Islands have become the unintended victims of their government's attempts at marine
conservation. Unfortunately, in most cases, the establishment of MPAs in Italy was done
bureaucratically at the Ministry of the Environment in Rome in concert only with local
governments and environmental organizations. Rarely are local peoples’ ideas or objections
considered. 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 that
eliminated the threat of oil drilling in local waters. Local residents and fishers were not given
the opportunity to comment on MPA creation and most have been adamantly opposed to its
existence from the beginning. They feel that the MPA as it currently exists is worthless and
refuse to believe it could benefit them in the long run under current management, assisting in
the failure to meet management objectives. Despite this, however, most have commented that
if the MPA is managed “better” it will be a success and benefit everyone (Himes 2003).

To date, few biological studies have examined the effectiveness of the EIMR in terms
of its ability to increase the biomass of local marine organisms and none have been published.
Popular opinion, expressed in interviews in research conducted by the author in 2001 as well
as in this study, concludes that, even though very little research has been done to determine
the effectiveness of the MPA, the MPA is ineffective biologically, economically and socially
(Himes 2003). Furthermore, minimal work has been done to determine the economic impacts
and no work has been done on the socio­cultural impacts of the marine reserve on local
stakeholders (Bertolino et al 2001).