Genoa, Aug. 7 (LaPresse) – Liguria is facing a crisis regarding its public beaches. This is what emerges from the report presented today by Legambiente in Santa Margherita Ligure on the occasion of the return of Goletta Verde, which concluded the 39th edition of its tour of the Italian coast with its final stop on Aug. 9. The environmental observatory has released data on sea quality, services, and critical issues regarding the space left for free beaches, coastal erosion, and adaptation to climate change. "About 70% of the Ligurian coastline is occupied by beach resorts, campsites, or tourist complexes, leaving only 22% of beaches free and 8% equipped with facilities. In effect, a public asset in private hands," denounced Stefano Bigliazzi, President of Legambiente Liguria. According to state data on 63 coastal municipalities, 21 do not meet the minimum threshold of 40% of free or equipped free beaches required by the 2008 Ligurian regional law (L.R. 13/2008). There are some “extreme” situations in the Savona area, with Spotorno having only 3.15% of free beaches, Loano only 4.67%, and Celle Ligure 8.18%. There are also critical issues in eastern Liguria, with Lerici having only 10.77% of free beaches, Santa Margherita 15.85%, and Rapallo 16.30%. “A public asset that enriches few,” adds Stefano Salvetti, national representative for Adiconsum free beaches and “Mare libero” for Liguria. “The beach sector has a turnover of more than twenty billion and returns just over one hundred million to the state,” he continues. "By charging a fair price, the necessary work that our beaches need could be carried out. We have been waiting for twenty years for beach concessions to be reallocated through public tenders, but instead we continue with a series of extensions. Furthermore, in January 2025, the Liguria Region approved a law suspending until December 30, 2027, the obligation for municipalities to maintain at least 40% of the seafront for free beaches. Not to mention the issue of equipped free beaches, which are now increasingly similar to actual beach resorts, where the beach is scarce because it is already occupied by umbrellas and deckchairs."