According to Legambiente, the new law and seizures are beginning to yield results. But crimes against animals, illegal construction, arson and counterfeiting are on the rise.
From the fight against ecomafia and eco-crimes come the first signs of a reversal in trend, following the introduction of the law on environmental offences into the criminal code and a more repressive and effective enforcement approach. According to Legambiente's Ecomafia 2016 report, the criminal business linked to 'ecological' crimes last year suffered a sharp slowdown, falling to an estimated figure of 19 billion euros, more than 3 billion less than the previous year. Three factors in particular are said to be putting the ecomafias under pressure: on one hand, reduced investment in the four regions with the highest mafia presence (Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, Campania); on the other, the massive seizures carried out by law enforcement in the agricultural sector; and finally, the crackdown that came with the approval of the law on eco-crimes.
"In the first 8 months since the introduction of the new law, 947 eco-crimes were contested, 1,185 people were reported, and 229 assets were seized with a value of 24 million euros," explains Legambiente director general Stefano Ciafani, presenting the report's findings in the Senate: "These are the first fruits of effective action begun in recent months." Of course, the emergency remains serious: "Illegality in this field remains a nationwide phenomenon, with a pronounced pervasiveness in the 4 regions where the mafias are entrenched" — particularly in Campania and Sicily, where nearly one third of all eco-crimes across Italy were recorded. But Lombardy also comes under Legambiente's spotlight: it is here that the highest number of investigations for eco-crimes has been opened over the past five years, with more than 2,500 arrests.
According to the report, crimes against animals and those in the agri-food supply chain are growing strongly, resulting in 1,400 seizures last year, mainly for food counterfeiting. It was also a record year for seized waste (3.2 million tonnes, the equivalent of 141 full lorries), and the number of arson incidents also rose — a problem set to return to the fore with the arrival of the scorching heat of high summer. And illegal construction continues to be a serious issue: in 2015, as many as 18,000 new buildings were erected without authorisation, mainly in Campania, but also in Calabria, Lazio and Sicily. "What we should instead be supporting are initiatives of 'virtuous concrete', as in the case of Calcestruzzi Ericina Libera, the cooperative in Trapani refounded after a mafia seizure and closely monitored by Legambiente and Libera," Ciafani emphasises.
Legambiente's report does not provide only figures, but also recommendations for policymakers: first and foremost, ensuring ever greater application of the law on eco-crimes, but also stepping up the fight against corruption on environmental issues and making it easier to demolish eyesore buildings. The next steps involve introducing a new category of criminal offence against protected fauna and flora and, with regard to food and wine, protecting made-in-Italy products and combating organised crime in the agricultural sector — the so-called agromafia. Finally, the report calls for the creation of a structured environmental police force with a nationwide presence, which could in some way take over the functions previously performed by the Guardia forestale corps. The next move therefore lies with politicians: a bill on agromafia already exists in Parliament, but final approval is also expected shortly for the bill on land consumption.