Calabria coastal erosion triggers new monitoring tool and environmental calls

Environmental group Legambiente is calling on the Calabria region to ensure that at least 50% of beaches remain free for public use, emphasizing the need for accessibility and essential services. The association is responding to new regional guidelines for beach concessions, arguing that the current criteria do not sufficiently weight environmental fragility or address coastal erosion.

In response to the growing threat of erosion, researchers from ENEA, ISPRA, and CNR have introduced CoDeC (Coastal Degradation Calculation), an innovative algorithm designed to quantify the economic and environmental impacts of coastal loss. The tool was tested in San Lucido, Calabria, where satellite data and orthophotos revealed that over 60% of the beach surface has been lost since 1954 due to urbanization and rigid barriers.

The study indicates that restoring the San Lucido coastline would cost an estimated 12.5 million euros for nourishment, plus 300,000 euros in annual maintenance. Researchers noted that while traditional hard barriers like breakwaters protect infrastructure, they often shift erosion to adjacent areas, prompting a shift toward soft engineering solutions such as dunes and Posidonia oceanica meadows.