Beach Scenic Quality versus Beach Concessions: Case Studies from Southern Italy

Alexis Mooser (), Giorgio Anfuso, Enzo Pranzini, Angela Rizzo and Pietro P. C. Aucelli
Additional contact information
Alexis Mooser: Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University, 80143 Naples, Italy
Giorgio Anfuso: Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cádiz, 11510 Cádiz, Spain
Enzo Pranzini: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Angela Rizzo: Department of Earth Sciences and Geo-Environmental (DISTeGEO), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70122 Bari, Italy
Pietro P. C. Aucelli: Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University, 80143 Naples, Italy

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-26

Abstract: This paper essentially aims to identify coastal sites of great scenic value not (or barely) affected by human intrusions and propose sound management interventions to improve their landscape quality. Today, management of coastal areas in Italy is a very complex task essentially because of institutional fragmentation and overlapping of laws/regulations at the national, regional and municipal levels. It is estimated that only half of the country’s beaches are freely accessible and usable for bathing, i.e., 43% are occupied by private concessions and in 7.2% bathing is not allowed because of water pollution. Sites’ scenic quality was assessed using the Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES), a robust semi-quantitative methodology based on a set of 26 physical/human parameters, weighting matrices parameters and fuzzy logic mathematics. An evaluation index (D) was afterward obtained for each site and used to classify them into five scenic classes. After a long process of field testing along the coasts of the Tyrrhenian, Ionic and Adriatic seas (25 municipalities, 7 provinces and 4 regions: Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Apulia), a total of 36 sites were selected for this paper. Twenty-four sites fall within Class I, i.e., were extremely attractive (D ≥ 0.85; CSES) because of their exceptional geomorphological settings that favour a wide variety of coastal sceneries. Most of Class II (8) and Class III (4) sites could be upgraded by implementing clean-up operations or by reducing intrusive beach facilities. Meanwhile “private” beaches are usually cleaned; beach litter at remote/public sites represents a big concern to be challenged. Today, finding a free/aesthetic/clean beach without human intrusions in a fully natural environment is far more complex than it seems. Given this context, emphasis was particularly placed on beach litter and concessions aspects.

Keywords: CSES; beach management; litter; concessions; protected areas; national parks; 3S tourism; Campania; Basilicata; Calabria; Apulia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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