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By Maria Elena De Matteo
Based on a transcribed interview with Giulia Visconti, Director of the Capo Milazzo Marine Protected Area

When Giulia Visconti became director of the Capo Milazzo Marine Protected Area, in Sicily, Italy, just two years ago, she stepped into a reality that was equal parts promising and precarious. The Marine Protected Area (MPA) was brand new, full of potential, and full of emergencies.

There had been no director for the first three years. Everything had to be built, negotiated, and explained. “We had the infrastructure,” she says, “but the human systems? Those needed time, trust, and a lot of effort.”

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A Small MPA with Big Momentum

Capo Milazzo is a relatively small protected area on Sicily’s northern coast, but its management model is ambitious. A public–private consortium brings together the municipality, the University of Messina, and the NGO Marevivo, with each playing a specific role: from planning to environmental education to day-to-day management.

From the very beginning, the MPA rolled out tangible services — mooring fields, perimeter markers, on-site information — that made the presence of the protected area visible and real. “Visitors saw the difference immediately,” says Giulia. “They could feel it.”

An app was launched early, communication tools were set up, and services were linked to local tourism. It helped ease community acceptance. But Giulia knew that acceptance wasn’t enough. What was needed was direct involvement.

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From Regulation to Relationship

One of the MPA’s early strengths was joining the regional artisanal fishing consultation table, bringing local fishers into the conversation from day one. With only 10 to 12 professional fishers left in Milazzo, it was possible to build direct relationships, sometimes one-on-one.

At first, the fishers were hesitant. The sector is in crisis, and any new regulation feels like a threat. But thanks to a year-long collaboration supported by an European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) project, Giulia and the fishers worked together to co-design new rules. “We didn’t always agree,” she admits, “but we found compromises that worked.”

The result? Local fishers now understand that they are the only ones allowed to fish year-round inside the Marine Protected Area — a privilege that comes with recognition and protection.

Still, there are tensions. Sport and recreational fishing remain loosely regulated at the national level, and illegal fishing — especially from outsiders — is a constant battle. The MPA’s team works closely with the harbour master’s office, sharing a surveillance system and holding regular coordination meetings. This collaboration has paid off, not just in enforcement, but in credibility: legal fishers now feel defended, not penalised.

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When the Community Starts Watching the Sea

Something shifted when the MPA began posting staff at sea more regularly. Authorised sport fishers — once indifferent — started complaining about illegal competitors from out of town, and locals began reporting suspicious behaviour. The local community became a guardian of its own environment against illegal activities.

“It’s a small thing,” Giulia says, “but when residents start calling you to flag a problem at sea, you know something is changing.”

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Tourism That Stays

Milazzo has always been a port of passage — a place to wait for a ferry to the Aeolian Islands. But in the last two years, something remarkable has happened: tourists are starting to spend time there.

In the past, there wasn’t a single bed available, whereas now B&Bs and holiday homes are booming. Visitors are walking along the MPA’s panoramic trail, which includes educational signage, a sea-themed visitor room, fitness areas, and guided tours. In August 2024 alone, the trail logged 17,000 entries — and that doesn’t count the schools, cultural groups, and conference delegates who also now visit the area regularly.

The MPA has become part of Milazzo’s cultural fabric, co-hosting events with the town’s medieval castle, collaborating with sports associations, and even fielding requests from refinery workers who want to go diving or trekking on their days off.

“There’s no master plan,” Giulia says. “It’s just working. The network is growing naturally.”

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It’s Still Hard, But It Works

Managing staff, handling communications, enforcing rules, negotiating with every stakeholder group — it’s challenging. And yet, Giulia and the MPA’s team are seeing results. Monitoring shows an “explosion” in fish species diversity. Divers are thrilled, locals are curious, and even once-sceptical groups are coming around.

There are still some who think the sea is just a place to do whatever you want. But the idea that the sea is a shared, managed resource is gaining ground.

On February 18, 2025, the MPA hosted an open day with the University of Messina, the Zoological Station, the University of Palermo, the University of Catania and other regional and national environmental authorities to share data, demonstrate how real-life decisions are made to protect marine environment, and promote local sustainable economy.

“Communicating the results is everything,” Giulia says. “When people understand what we’re doing — and why — they get involved.”

Capo Milazzo might be small, just 750 hectares. But it’s doing the hardest work of all: building trust, one conversation at a time.

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