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Davide Mancini
Freelance journalist and videomaker. I look for environmental stories connected with our consumption behaviors, that unveil the complexity of a globalized society.
My Articles
How the ‘Galapagos of West Africa’ was Plundered by Floating Fishmeal Factories
The only ice factory in Bubaque is out of service. Local fishermen, like Pedro Luis Pereira, are forced to source ice from factories on the mainland in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, some 70 kilometres away – a six-hour round trip by boat.
“The machines have been broken for months,” Pereira explains, as he pulls in his nets on the shore of the island inside the protected Bijagós Archipelago. “We’ve alerted the Ministry of Fisheries, but so far, no one has come to fix them.”
Wooden canoes ar...
“The machines have been broken for months,” Pereira explains, as he pulls in his nets on the shore of the island inside the protected Bijagós Archipelago. “We’ve alerted the Ministry of Fisheries, but so far, no one has come to fix them.”
Wooden canoes ar...
How the ‘Galápagos of west Africa’ is plundered by floating fish factories
The only ice factory on Bubaque, an island in west Africa’s Guinea-Bissau, is out of service. Local fishers, such as Pedro Luis Pereira, are forced to source ice from factories on the mainland, about 70km away – a six-hour round trip by boat.“The machines have been broken for months,” Pereira says, as he pulls in his nets on the shore of the island inside the protected Bijagós archipelago. “We’ve alerted the ministry of fisheries, but so far, no one has come to fix them.”Wooden canoes are the on...
Pesca ilegal en Gambia: cómo los barcos chinos abastecen el mercado europeo y español de productos del mar
Al caer la noche, los cuatro pescadores descansan en su piragua (o cayuco), a varios kilómetros de la costa. Es el momento de la espera tras haber arrojado sus redes frente a la playa de How Ba, en las aguas tropicales que bañan la pequeña costa de Gambia. En unas horas, como de costumbre, izarán las redes y colocarán la pesca en cajas llenas de hielo.Dos luces de navegación verde y roja —aparentemente de otra piragua— se aproximan en silencio. Segundos después, un impacto violento sacude la emb...
Il pesce rubato del Gambia servito in Europa
«Questi pescherecci a strascico sono un problema. Le loro infrazioni sono all’ordine del giorno, ma queste imbarcazioni straniere non vengono mai chiamate a rispondere delle loro azioni», denuncia Omar Gaye, dell’Associazione dei pescatori artigianali del Gambia. Da pescatore, vive il problema sulla propria pelle e ha denunciato una nave della stessa flotta Majilac per aver distrutto le sue reti da pesca durante la notte. Il danno subito ammonta a circa 2.000 euro, ma Gaye non ha ancora ricevuto...
Is eating octopus sustainable? The struggle of artisanal fishers from Mexico to Spain
Polvo à Lagareiro in Portugal, pulpo a la Gallega in Spain, polpo alla Luciana in Italy, or chtapódi xidháto in Greece – across the coastal regions of southern Europe, octopus is a traditional dish that has long held a place on local tables. Today, it’s widely available in restaurants and supermarkets across the continent, often at affordable prices.
While consumption is on the rise, octopus catches are in decline. As a result, much of the octopus served in Europe no longer comes from Europea...
While consumption is on the rise, octopus catches are in decline. As a result, much of the octopus served in Europe no longer comes from Europea...
Two coasts, one struggle for octopus fishers battling overfishing and warming waters
ASTURIAS, Spain, and YUCATÁN, Mexico — On a mild February morning, Isaac Blanco quickly places half a sardine into each cage as his brother, Julio, steers their boat along the Asturian coast in northern Spain. This is the beginning of the season for pulpo — Octopus vulgaris — the most commercially sought-after cephalopod in this region, and part of the local fishing tradition.
The fishing villages along this stretch of the Asturian coast have long been a model of sustainable fisheries. In 2016,...
The fishing villages along this stretch of the Asturian coast have long been a model of sustainable fisheries. In 2016,...
Terra e carta: l’industria della cellulosa europea in Mozambico
Mentre Gabriel Feijao travasa il miele in una bottiglietta di plastica con l’aiuto della figlia, sua moglie prepara le pagnotte, appena sfornate, da un forno tradizionale alimentato a carbone ardente. Il carbone lo produce un altro dei suoi figli a qualche centinaio di metri di distanza, usando tronchi di alberi raccolti nella sua terra. Carbone, miele, pane e verdure sono quello che la famiglia produce per sé ma, anche, in buona parte, per venderlo al mercato locale. Si tratta di un’agricoltura...
La expansión del eucalipto en Mozambique para la papelera europea
“La empresa vino para quedarse con mi machamba (tierra) por la fuerza, pero no lo permití; a mis hijos les encanta la agricultura”. Ester Bande vive en el distrito de Gondôla, en la provincia de Manica, en el centro de Mozambique. Es una mujer viuda, con ocho hijos, siete nietos y ocho bisnietos. En Mozambique, machamba se refiere a la tierra destinada al cultivo para uso familiar, un sistema agrícola mixto donde se siembran cereales, trigo, hortalizas y frutas, además de hierbas medicinales, es...
The price for Europe’s packing paper boom
The rapid rise of e-commerce and food delivery services has transformed consumption patterns worldwide. In an effort to reduce plastic waste, the European Union introduced policies such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, aimed at a shift from single-use plastics to single-use paper products. While these initiatives aim to address the environmental crisis, they have fueled a surge in demand for cellulose, intensifying pressures on global forests and rural communities.For years, Port...
La rotta della carta: dal Portogallo al Mozambico, l’industria della cellulosa in cerca di terra coltivabile
E-commerce, food delivery e la transizione verde europea stanno contribuendo a far aumentare la domanda di cellulosa in Europa, ma soprattutto incide la contestata direttiva sul packaging. Secondo diverse organizzazioni a difesa delle foreste, come Fern, la direttiva europea approvata nella primavera del 2024 è stato un falso passo avanti per l’ambiente, perché non riduce il packaging ma piuttosto «sostituisce semplicemente la plastica con imballaggi di carta, che spesso contengono comunque plas...
Così i fertilizzanti divorano l’ossigeno nei laghi: lo scontro con gli ambientalisti e la ricerca di soluzioni più sostenibili
Se in Europa è ormai da generazioni che non si parla di malnutrizione, questo è anche grazie ai fertilizzanti. Dalla Rivoluzione Verde degli anni quaranta del secolo scorso, la produzione di cibo è aumentata enormemente, e con essa l’uso di fertilizzanti sintetici. Questi apportano i nutrienti ai terreni usati per coltivare la frutta e verdura che mangiamo, ma anche per le coltivazioni necessarie ad alimentare l’industria della carne. Ma a distanza di decenni, si comincia a vederne i limiti ecol
EU rules seen as insufficient to fix nutrient pollution
From rivers and lakes to lagoons and seas, numerous aquatic environments across Europe are grappling with a silent yet ubiquitous threat – an excess of nutrients that disrupt their ecological balance and imperil their very existence.
This pollution is largely the by-product of factory farming and intensive agriculture, where too much manure and man-made fertiliser is spread on farmland to grow crops, resulting in nutrient-rich runoff getting into downstream waterways.
The leakage of these subs
This pollution is largely the by-product of factory farming and intensive agriculture, where too much manure and man-made fertiliser is spread on farmland to grow crops, resulting in nutrient-rich runoff getting into downstream waterways.
The leakage of these subs
Sobredosis de abonos en Europa - Climática
La doctora Antonella Litta es miembro de la asociación italiana Medici per l’Ambiente (Médicos por el Medio Ambiente) y lleva una década trabajando a escala local, regional y nacional para mejorar el agua del lago Vico: “Hace más de diez años que no tenemos agua potable en el pueblo, porque el agua doméstica procede del lago, que está contaminado“. El uso masivo de fertilizantes en el suelo alrededor del lago durante décadas ha provocado una acumulación de nutrientes por encima del umbral permit
Korrels voor plasticproductie vervuilen Waalse gemeente Ecaussinnes
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Dopo 80 anni i “pellets” in plastica fluttuano levigati dal mare: si allerta la Commissione Europea
Sulle rive del fiume Schelda, che si getta nel Mare del Nord dalla citt� portuale di Anversa, non � difficile scorgere polimeri di plastica mescolati alla sabbia, a poche centinaia di metri dagli impianti petrolchimici che punteggiano uno dei porti pi� grandi d’Europa. Katrin Van den Troost, attivista dell’organizzazione locale Climaxi, ci guida attraverso alcuni dei luoghi in cui si accumulano i pellet di plastica, alcuni colorati, altri ingialliti dal tempo, altri ancora trasparenti. Da
Tante piccole palline di plastica minacciano l’ambiente
I pellet di plastica sono dei granuli usati a livello industriale per produrre oggetti di plastica di vario tipo. Nelle diverse fasi di produzione e di trasporto, a causa della loro piccola dimensione, si diffondono facilmente nell’ambiente, in particolare negli ecosistemi fluviali e marini. Si stima che in Europa ogni anno si disperdano più di 160mila tonnellate di pellet di plastica.
Are we ready for a mega-fire in Central Europe?
We decided to compare the degree of preparedness for this threat in three countries: we started with Portugal, which has been dealing with wildfires for years, then looked at Hungary, where climate warming is becoming more and more noticeable, and ended with Poland, where awareness of the threat is still negligible. What can Central European countries learn from what is already happening in the south of our continent? Are they prepared for the worst case scenarios?
The fire in the Biebrza Natio
The fire in the Biebrza Natio
La plaga europea de los pellets de plástico
Undefined cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
[Investigation] Nurdle pollution: old problem, same legislative challenges
This is the second chapter of the investigation into plastic pellet pollution. Building on the insights presented in part one, this segment explores the limited efforts made to address the issue and the regulatory gap that prevents holding companies accountable.
Nurdle pollution is not a recent occurrence: the earliest reported sightings of plastic pellets on beaches date back to the early 1970s. Yet no specific legislation has been introduced since then, and efforts to mitigate spills have lar
Nurdle pollution is not a recent occurrence: the earliest reported sightings of plastic pellets on beaches date back to the early 1970s. Yet no specific legislation has been introduced since then, and efforts to mitigate spills have lar
[Investigation] Nurdles: Europe's worst unknown plastic pollution crisis
From the rugged coastlines of the North Sea to the sun-drenched beaches of the southern Mediterranean, Europe faces a pervasive yet little-known environmental threat: pollution from tiny, round plastic pellets.
They are called nurdles, and they are the foundational building blocks for nearly all plastic products, from yogurt cups to toothbrushes, computer casings, and car bumpers. But as essential as they are for consumer goods, nurdles are also a vast source of plastic pollution.
Student or r
They are called nurdles, and they are the foundational building blocks for nearly all plastic products, from yogurt cups to toothbrushes, computer casings, and car bumpers. But as essential as they are for consumer goods, nurdles are also a vast source of plastic pollution.
Student or r
Fighting fires with fires – and pasture
In early December, in the hills of Dalías, near Almeria, a group of thirty firefighters from INFOCA, the firefighting service of the region of Andalusia, were torching an area of brushwood within a 40-hectare plot. Supervising them were researchers as well as other firefighters with experience in controlled fires. This was of course no pyromaniac spree, but rather a well-planned test of “pyric herbivorism”, part of the COMPAS programme carried out by research centres in the three Spanish regions
Portugal, wildfires and the eucalyptus curse
No one would guess that in 2017 more than 50,000 hectares burned in the hills between Pedrogrão Grande and Castanheira de Persparka, in central Portugal. The vegetation is luxuriant again and a mantle of (also known as blue gum) covers much of the mountainous landscape. These are plantations rather than forests, and its canopy already reaches a height of 10 or 15 metres. Although the trees are not yet ready to be harvested for the pulp industry, there is plenty of human activity going on.
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Los pescadores nómadas de Nigeria, en primera línea del frente climático
El Níger, con 4.200 kilómetros, es el tercer río más largo de África y atraviesa cuatro países (Guinea, Malí, Níger en su frontera con Benín, y Nigeria). Unos 3,8 millones de pescadores nómadas viven, por épocas, en sus orillas, según datos de 2016 de la Universidad de Port Harcourt de Nigeria. En la foto, uno de ellos observa la crecida de las aguas en la aldea de Igbedor (Estado de Anambra, al sur de Nigeria) el pasado mes de febrero.
El nivel del río cerca de la aldea de Igbedor suele descen
El nivel del río cerca de la aldea de Igbedor suele descen
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