Italy’s 14 Madonie Municipalities recognized as a Blue Community.
Together with the city of Udine in the north of Italy (see here), also 14 municipalities of the Madonie park on Sicily were designated Blue Communities.
The Blue Community Madonie was born from the belief that water is a common good and a universal human right. In line with the National Strategy for Sustainable Development and the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change, the project aims to manage the water service publicly, reduce the use of single-use plastics, and ensure free and safe access to drinking water by promoting local sources.
Luigi Iuppa, President of the Union of Madonie Municipalities, states:
“The recognition of the Union of Madonie Municipalities as a Blue Community for the 14 municipalities in the area that manage the water service under a safeguard regime (Caltavuturo, Campofelice di Roccella, Castelbuono, Collesano, Gangi, Geraci Siculo, Gratteri, Isnello, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Pollina, Scillato, and Sclafani Bagni), represents both a culmination of the efforts undertaken in recent years to protect, safeguard, and enhance water resources and a starting point for further action to overcome the remaining critical issues affecting the service. A program of positive actions for the efficient use and reuse of water will be shared with schools, youth councils, associations, and businesses, and will implement best practices developed in other areas.”
The Madonie region stands out as a truly unique European site. The Madonie UNESCO Global Geopark, recognized in 2015, preserves over 235 million years of geological history. The carbonate rocks that characterize the area serve as an immense natural reservoir, feeding aquifers that represent one of Sicily’s main sources of water. Biodiversity is extraordinary. Protected species include the golden eagle and the Egyptian vulture, while the Nebrodi pine (Abies nebrodensis) symbolizes the region’s resilience.
Sole Director Alessandro Ficile explains:
“The candidacy was prepared and submitted by SO.SVI.MA. Spa, which – from a technical perspective – has been coordinating the 14 municipalities under the safeguard regime since 2019, and has involved the Madonie Park and several associations that have been working in the area for years. The candidacy is rooted in the principles underlying the 2011 referendum on public water and therefore rejects the rationale that water can be used to generate profits, but rather should simply focus on covering costs. In terms of water network efficiency and leak reduction, thanks to the project for mapping, districting, leak detection, and renovation of water networks funded by the PNRR, we have gone from a confirmed loss of over 70% of the water resource introduced into the networks to less than 40%. There is still a long way to go, but the path has been mapped out with the hope that the work done in the Madonie will be followed by other areas.” and other communities.”
Giuseppe Ferrarello, President of the Madonie UNESCO Global Geopark stated:
“The recognition of the Madonie as a Blue Community marks a significant institutional step, affirming water as a fundamental human right and a common good. Achieved on World Water Day, this milestone represents not a point of arrival, but the beginning of a shared responsibility: to strengthen public, equitable, and sustainable management of water resources, while promoting a new water culture based on protection, awareness, and participation.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Luigi Iuppa, President of the Union of Madonie Municipalities, and Alessandro Ficile, Sole Director of SO.SVI.MA. SpA, for their vision and hard work, which were crucial to achieving this important recognition. The Madonie UNESCO Global Geopark thus renews its commitment to local communities: protecting water means protecting the life, identity, and future of the territory.
Joining the international Blue Communities network represents not only an environmental recognition, but a true cultural rebirth. The many springs in the Madonie become symbols of a new collective awareness: protecting water means protecting the life and resilience of the territory. And protecting water resources becomes a pillar of resistance against climate change and the depopulation of inland areas. By common will of the 14 protected municipalities and the involved partnership, these concrete actions will be accompanied by a commitment to transparency, with annual public reports that will allow for an account of the results achieved and the challenges still to be faced.”
