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The Italian government has decided to ban cruise ships from the Venetian Lagoon to protect the city’s ecosystem and heritage.
What’s going on
- On Tuesday, July 13, the Italian government decided to close the Venetian Lagoon to cruise ships in order to preserve the island’s ecosystem and cultural heritage.
- The ban comes into force on August 1, and applies to ships with a displacement of more than 25 tons. They are prohibited from passing through the Giudecca canal, located next to the city’s most famous landmark, Piazza San Marco.
- The 25 t threshold means that only small passenger ferries and cargo ships will be allowed to pass through the Giudecca, as cruise ships typically reach 200 t.
- According to a Reuters source in Italy’s cabinet, the move comes after UNESCO threatened to blacklist Italy for allowing cruise ships to reach the World Heritage site.
- Venice residents and the international community have been urging the government for years to ban large boats from the lagoon because of the threat to buildings and the fragile ecosystem, but the tourism industry has opposed this.
- Cruise companies that will suffer from the introduction of this ban will receive compensation from the state, and they will also be offered an alternative route.
What does it mean
The introduction of a ban on the passage of cruise ships along the Giudecca Canal is an undoubted achievement of eco-activists and residents of Venice who wanted to preserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the city. Of course, this indicates an increase in public awareness of environmental issues and is proof that the interests of environmental protection can and should be placed above the interests of business.
It took ten years for the government to pass this law – all this time the activists fought against cruise ships that pollute the lagoon, the air and pose a danger to the foundations of unique buildings, and they all continued to walk along the Giudecca, closing San Marco. On such a small island (the area of Venice is only 414,6 sq. km), a huge cruise ship of 200 thousand tons looks like an elephant in a china shop.
The fight didn’t go unnoticed. Among the factors worth noting is the coronavirus pandemic – during the pandemic, the nature of Venice began to clear up, and dolphins were even seen in the canals. Since cruise ships will no longer enter the Venetian Lagoon, it is to be hoped that the island will be able to maintain its ecosystem. And the inhabitants of Venice and its visitors will be able to enjoy the magnificent architecture of historical buildings for many years to come.