We are speechless in the face of such horror. The Lipu Soglitelle Oasis of Villa Literno, in the Caserta area, was hit by an almost certainly malicious fire which devastated the vegetation and destroyed the recently repaired access bridge on the night of Tuesday 22 September. It doesn’t just burn a portion of territory or a simple brushwood, but a true miracle of civil and environmental redemption. For years this area of 103 hectares, included in the Foce Volturno Costa di Licola reserve, has been trampled and tormented by the Camorra, cynically exploited for illicit spills of poisons and for systematic poaching against migratory birds.
Thanks to the extraordinary Volo Libero operation, conducted in synergy with the forestry carabinieri and volunteers, the swamp had been saved from degradation and returned to the community as a nature reserve, education center and safe refuge for hundreds of wildlife species. Precisely to seal this path of rebirth, the area had obtained the prestigious European recognition in July 2026 with the establishment of the SPA (Special Protection Area), fully falling within the Natura 2000 network. An extraordinary achievement which has evidently annoyed those who continue to consider the land not a common good to be protected, but a land of illicit business to be plundered.
Not a single brush burned. A miracle burned. – writes the LIPU Guards coordinator of Caserta, Maurizio Paolella, with a bitter taste in his mouth – A piece of land tormented by the Camorra, by poisons, by spills, which was finally coming back to life. Which had become a SPA – Special Protection Area. Which had become Home for hundreds of birds, for nature, for our children. And it happens to be burning RIGHT NOW. Right after the SPA was established. Just after that area started to have rules, protections, eyes on it. Coincidences? I don’t believe it anymore. That special protection zone bothered some. It bothered those who want to continue doing business on that land. To those who saw the Oasis as an obstacle, not as a hope.
The immediate reaction of institutions and volunteers: the swamp does not stop
The fire, fueled by the wind, could have had catastrophic consequences if it had not been for the timely intervention coordinated by the mayor Valerio Di Fraia, the president of the Reserve Authority Mario Grimaldi, the firefighters, the municipal police and the police, who prevented the flames from devouring the nearby visitor centre. The anger and disdain expressed by Maurizio Paolella, coordinator of the Lipu guards of Caserta, and by the director of the oasis Rino Esposito describe the ferocity of a gesture that affects the free and passionate work of those who defend the environment every day. The president of Lipu-BirdLife Italia Alessandro Polinori also firmly reiterated that the scientific monitoring activity of the IGF will not suffer any interruption.
The authorities’ investigations will clarify every responsibility, but the response of civil society is already written in the facts. The damaged bridge will be promptly rebuilt and guided tours for families and students will restart immediately, because the birdlife protected by European directives and the beauty of this corner of paradise cannot be erased by fire. Whoever started the flames should know that the community of Villa Literno and the defenders of nature will not take a single step back.
