FOR EVER CHANGED

Part of Puglia’s landscape is changing forever due to the spread of Xylella fastidiosa. Our project aims to document these changes

Over the past ten years the infection has spread northward from the southern Salento, reaching the heart of Puglia and destroying several million olive trees, permanently altering the landscape. Xylella fastidiosa is considered one of the most dangerous plant pathogens in the world. There is currently no cure. Beyond the olive tree, it can also affect cherry, almond and plum trees. It has become closely associated with olives since a strain was first detected in olive trees in Puglia in 2013. The bacterium is transmitted by sap-sucking insects such as the spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius). The infection restricts the movement of water and nutrients through the tree, which gradually dries out and dies. In Italy, the consequences of the disease’s spread have been devastating, with olive harvests estimated to have fallen by 60% since the first detection.