Villasimius, Zingaro Nature Reserve, the Peloponnese, Crete, Cyprus, Catalonia: the flames know no borders, and the summer of 2025 is proving to be one of the most devastating in recent years. Forests and water resources are paying the highest price, while rural areas and agricultural economies are increasingly struggling .

According to Legambiente's latest report, between January 1st and July 18th, 2025, over 52,000 hectares of vegetation, including forests and Mediterranean scrub, went up in smoke in Italy.

This is already an alarming figure, made worse by the fact that it represents a 35% increase compared to the same period in 2024. And the worst could be yet to come: if the trend of recent years continues, there is a risk of exceeding 100,000 hectares of burned land by September.

Two of the most serious incidents occurred in Sardinia, in Villasimius, and in Sicily, in the Zingaro Nature Reserve, where hundreds of hectares of precious vegetation were destroyed, along with structures, homes, and personal property. In both cases, the lives of residents and tourists were also put at risk.

Nationwide, over 3,000 firefighting operations were recorded in the last week alone . According to ISPRA and the regional authorities, direct and indirect damages could already exceed €1.5 billion, a figure expected to grow as the dry season progresses.

"A burning forest doesn't just mean losing trees, it destroys essential ecosystem services like soil protection and biodiversity. To rebuild what fire erases, a single generation isn't enough," commented Francesco Vincenzi, president of ANBI (National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of Land and Irrigation Waters).

But it's not just Italy that's burning . The ANBI Water Resources Observatory lists a long series of fires that devastated the Mediterranean basin in July. In Spain, 5,000 hectares burned in Catalonia, 3,300 in Tarragona, and 3,000 in Toledo. In Greece, enormous damage was recorded in the Peloponnese, Attica, and Kythera. In Crete, over 7,000 hectares went up in smoke, while in Cyprus, 100,100 km² of wine-growing territory. In Albania, however, 18 outbreaks were reported, including in the Lura National Park, while in Portugal, Turkey, and Bulgaria, the fires reported were extensive and difficult to contain.

The situation is worsened by the extreme drought affecting large areas of the Italian peninsula . Puglia is among the most exposed: in just one week, the Capitanata reservoirs have lost over 5.5 million cubic meters of water, and the large Occhito reservoir risks running out of drinking water by the end of the summer. In Basilicata, the two main dams (Monte Cotugno and Pertusillo) are holding 46 million cubic meters less than they would in 2024.

The situation is different in Sicily, where reservoirs increased by 93 million cubic meters in the first week of July, a positive sign after several critical months. However, by June, record temperatures had already caused the loss of nearly 20 million cubic meters of water resources.

In Sardinia, drought is severely impacting the Nurra and Alto Cixerri regions, compromising not only agriculture but also local ecosystems.

Central Italy's lakes are also suffering: Lake Albano has lost 82 cm in less than a year, while small Lake Nemi has shrunk 73 cm in four years. Lake Trasimeno has suffered a further 4 cm in the last week.

Some areas of the North, such as Veneto and Tuscany, have seen increased flows in the main rivers, thanks in part to recent storms. But according to Massimo Gargano, director general of ANBI, these events are "fragmented and insufficient."

"The analysis of the situation confirms the critical situation developing in Southern Europe. Without targeted intervention from Brussels, these territories risk irreversible environmental and agricultural decline, precisely when food self-sufficiency becomes strategic," added Gargano.

(Unionesarda/Fr.Me.)

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