Agrigento coastline faces severe erosion risk across 104 kilometers

A recent conference organized by the Order of Architects of Agrigento revealed that 104 kilometers of the 140-kilometer coastline in the Agrigento province are at high or very high risk of erosion. Experts and regional officials warned that while significant financial resources are available, there is a critical shortage of technical projects and effective strategies to implement them.

Regional Minister Giusi Savarino reported that €77 million in FESR resources have been reprogrammed for coastal erosion interventions, alongside €58 million from MASE for hydrogeological risk mitigation. However, she noted that many local municipalities lack the technical staff to draft the necessary plans, often resulting in low participation in funding calls compared to other provinces.

Technical experts, including Giovanni Randazzo from the University of Messina, emphasized the need to move away from rigid structures like breakwaters and groynes, which can exacerbate erosion elsewhere. Instead, they recommended resilient solutions such as artificial beach nourishment, sediment relocation, and the restoration of dunes and Posidonia seagrass meadows.