News

Mountains in motion: Central Italy earthquakes

28.11.2016

The series of earthquakes in Central Italy beginning in August 2016 have largely had epicentres inside the Monti Sibillini National Park. After the first earthquake, a crack appeared at the top of the highest mountain in the park, Monte Vettore (2 476 metres), running along the flank of the mountain. A clear rift opened on Monte Porche, and there were numerous land and rockslides on the mountains. The park is characterized by deep gorges, many of which are now full of fallen boulders and rocks.

More recently, a river suddenly emerged near the park village of Castelsantangelo sul Nera, actually running through a protected area the Park created as a reserve for human-habituated wild animals. These are wild animals who have been injured and received extensive veterinary treatment and/or were born in captivity. The Park had to quickly relocate them - including a wolf and two golden eagles, among other animals. Meanwhile, farmers were faced with traumatized livestock, and most people living and working in and around the park were obliged to leave their homes and businesses.

The Park faces new challenges as the President of Monti Sibillini National Park, Oliviero Olivieri, describes it: “Our role as park authority is to help coordinate and develop the socio-economic life in the ‘post-earthquake’ phase. The Park’s strategic tourism plan was due to end in 2017, and now we are developing a new strategy to coordinate renewal and revival. People who live in the Park are coming forward to participate more than ever before. They are looking to us to take a leading role.”

It is anticipated that the level of sustainability will increase because homes and businesses will be re-constructed with a high level of attention to environmental impacts and more green energy features. However, a large percentage of the historic ancient churches and stone houses in the mountains of the Park collapsed, many of which had withstood earthquakes since before the year 1000, representing a loss of priceless heritage.

Agricultural business is also estimated to experience an increase in environmental assessments to increase its sustainability and produce a higher quality product with animal welfare at the fore. Farmers will be looking at where and how the animals are grazing, what type of fodder they have and where it comes from and if the transport is sustainable. Yet it will take time for business to reopen. Meanwhile, on the Park’s website, there is a list of all producers who are still able to operate, and the public is invited to purchase direct from source.

The Sustainable Tourism Officer, Maria Laura Talame, explained some challenges of tourism in this situation: “When a location is closed to the public due to being particularly dangerous, many people are more interested to go there. For this reason, in some parts of the Park, the closed areas must be guarded. It is unbelievable how many phone calls and how much interest there is, often from people who don’t normally go to mountains. People have a great curiosity to see how the mountains have changed.”

Is there truth in the old saying: “All publicity is good publicity”? Many foreign visitors contacted the park expressing condolences and saying they plan to return. The park offers a sensation of a particularly high level of undisturbed nature with profound diversity of landscapes within its 692 square kilometres.

Now more than 50 park trails, as well as some roads, are being inspected for safety. The website is being updated to encourage visitors while also explaining what has taken place.

Tamara Griffiths is a ‘mountain writer’ and a frequent news contributor to the Mountain Partnership and The Huffington Post. Living near Monti Sibillini National Park and also working for the Park as a translator, Griffiths was affected by the earthquakes and wrote this piece for the Mountain Partnership about coping with natural disasters in a mountainous national park environment.

Visit Monti Sibillini National Park’s website 

See post-earthquake photos from the Park

News and photo by Tamara Griffiths