The fame of the place, its proximity to the entire tourist system from Golfo Aranci to Santa Teresa di Gallura, with the Costa Smeralda at its centre, results in human pressure that manifests itself in an uncontrollable flood of boats on the sea of the archipelago, accumulating up to 6000 boats a day and creating countless problems that have led to a situation that is no longer sustainable.
For these reasons, over the years the Park Authority has adopted environmental regulations which, although they have been the subject of much debate, have been an important innovation in the context of national and international initiatives to protect the environment.
With the foundation of the National Park and the adoption of the relevant Protection Measures (set out in Annex A of the D.P.R. of 17 May 1996), certain restrictions were placed on the activities that can be carried out in the area. Over the years, a series of annual regulations have been adopted, which have not been possible since 2007 and have been replaced by specific Ordinances linked to the need to prevent and remedy environmental and natural disturbances caused by very intense and ever-increasing tourist flows.
The institution of the National Park of the Archipelago of La Maddalena is accompanied by a State-Region agreement which, among its main objectives, provides for the valorisation of the natural and historical-architectural heritage, through a series of actions aimed primarily at its restoration, in the event of deterioration. The actions carried out so far by the Park are in line with this objective.
In particular, the Protection measures contained in the D.P.R. of 17 May 1996 divide the territory into different zones, with the aim of protecting plant and animal species and, more generally, preserving the entire biodiversity heritage of the small islands, through the involvement of institutions and non-governmental organisations dedicated to environmental protection.
The integral protection of the Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach), implemented thanks to the Protection measures and an Ordinance issued in August 2008 in order to clarify the prohibitions in force in the area, as well as the protection of seabird nesting sites and marine zones reserved for fish restocking, the speed limits in the Park's waters, the demarcation of important stretches of water for bathing purposes only, and the introduction of an entrance fee for access to the 300-metre zone of the Park's marine area, have brought about a revolutionary change in the history of these islands, which are visited by thousands of boaters.
Article 16 of Law 394/91 (Framework Law on Protected Areas) lists the revenues of a Park Authority, among which (subsection 1 letter F) is the profit from entrance fees. The revenue from the fee charged to boaters has been earmarked by the Authority for increasing youth employment and for the conservation and better use of the protected area, thus in the public interest.