boateco yachtmediterraneoThe Italian National Sea day

The Italian National Sea Day it was established by a Legislative Decree 229/2017 is celebrated on 11th April.

We celebrate this important day, “in an hidden mode”!

Unfortunately, too many times we forget the central role of the Sea in our life, and especially the companies that developed products or activities thanks to the sea.

Confindustria Nautica for the sea

In 2017, the Mediterranean sea basin produced 59.6 billion euros of gross added value, 29% of the total at European level, after the Atlantic Ocean (73.4 billion euros) and the North Sea (63 billion euros). of Euro). However, in Europe 40% of employment in the maritime economy is found in the Mediterranean (1.78 million employees), 29% in the Atlantic Ocean (1.29 million employees) and only 20% in the Atlantic Ocean. North (0.87 million employees). To remember it, on the occasion of the National Day of the Sea on Sunday 11 April, is the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO).

Italy is one of the most important country, for the sea.

There are 27 marine protected areas in Italy, in addition to 2 submerged parks, which protect a total of approximately 228,000 hectares of sea and 700,000 km of coastline. 19.12% of the Italian territorial waters (from the shore up to 12 nautical miles) is covered by marine areas protected in various ways.

However, according to the IOC-Unesco only 1.67% of these areas effectively apply their management plans. Only 0.1% are fully protected areas. In the last 10 years (from 2009 to 2018) Italy has seen its share of employment and added value decrease.

SEA Index is to encourage the yachting industry to research and put forward solutions that will reduce the environmental impact

However, Italy has an important role from an environmental point of view: its sea is estimated to be responsible for the sequestration of 13.2 million tons of carbon per year, the highest value among EU member states in the Mediterranean Sea.

The role of the Unesco in the sea sustainability

According to the IOC-UNESCO 2021 report, combined sea-based decarbonisation actions (from developing ocean-based renewable energy to carbon storage in the seabed) could reduce the emissions gap by up to 21% on a reduction of 1.5 degrees and up to 25% on a 2 degree reduction.

“The Italian National Day of the Sea – explains Francesca Santoro, specialist of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO – is an important opportunity to raise awareness especially among young people on the importance of respect and knowledge of the sea, a resource of great cultural and scientific value.

Recreational and economic, for the world and for Italy in particular. Our country has an enormous heritage that it must protect and manage effectively, to avoid the destruction of the biodiversity of the marine ecosystem. We will benefit from it not only in environmental terms, but also cheap”.

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

Italy, together with the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and France, is among the major contributors to the both for employment (with a combined contribution of 58%) and for the gross value added Val (69% ). In 2017, in terms of the EU’s blue economy valley, the Mediterranean sea basin – of which Italy is a part – reached 59.6 billion euros, 29% of the total at European level, coming after the Atlantic Ocean (€ 73.4 billion) and the North Sea (€ 63 billion).

However, the employment dimension has been reversed: 40% of Blue Economy employment is in the Mediterranean (1.78 million employees), 29% in the Atlantic Ocean (1.29 million employees) and only 20% in the North Sea (0.87 million employees). As for Italy, in detail, in the last 10 years (from 2009 to 2018) it has seen its share of employment and of Val decrease.