Campania leads Italy in coastal environmental crimes, report finds

The 28th edition of Legambiente’s ‘Mare Monstrum’ report reveals significant environmental and criminal violations along Italian coasts in 2025. Nationally, authorities recorded 20,490 crimes and 36,322 administrative offenses, averaging approximately six violations per hour.

Illegal waste management and poor sewage treatment emerged as the primary threat to marine ecosystems, accounting for 7,317 crimes (35.7% of the total). This was followed by the illegal cement cycle with 6,189 crimes, illegal fishing with 4,338 crimes, and violations of the navigation code with 2,646 crimes.

Campania remains the region with the highest number of recorded crimes, totaling 4,002. Other regions with high concentrations of illegal activity include Puglia, Sicilia, and Calabria. Together, these four regions, which are traditionally associated with organized crime, account for 53.6% of all national violations. In Campania specifically, illegal cement production is a major issue, representing 18.8% of the national total with 1,166 recorded crimes.