Pantelleria – Stirbt die Schwarze Perle des Mittelmeers? Sozioökonomischer Strukturwandel einer kleinen italienischen Insel (Pantelleria – Is the Black Pearl of the Mediterranean Dying? Socio-Economic Structural Change on a Small Italian Island)

The small island of Pantelleria, due to its location between Sicily and Tunisia, had in the past a great geostrategic importance for the domination of the East-West connections in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the settlement of the island, also called the “Black Pearl of the Mediterranean” because of the dark volcanic rock, dates back to ancient times. Over the millennia, farmers have developed an adapted form of land use that allows them to achieve high levels of productivity despite the severe constraints of the natural environment – lack of water, stony soil, hot southerly winds. However, the detailed knowledge of the local ecosystem associated with it has been in danger of being lost in recent decades, as traditional cultivation of vines, capers and olives is no longer profitable in the face of EU competition, and agricultural land and building land alike are being occupied by high-priced tourism that provides few seasonal jobs. This is increasingly depriving the local population of its livelihood, with the result that many families are migrating.