Born in Naples and Roman by adoption, and a diver from a very young age, Rosalba Giugni has dedicated her life to the sea. In 1985, after observing the first signs of plastic pollution during her dives in the crystal-clear waters of Capri, she founded Marevivo. 

Widely regarded as one of the most authoritative figures in the field, she has over 40 years of experience addressing key issues related to marine ecosystems, working with public bodies, international organisations, Mediterranean governments, and scientific and military institutions. She has promoted 16 international campaigns aboard the Italian Navy training ships Amerigo Vespucci and Palinuro, with the support of universities, the Navy and the Ministry for the Environment, and has built a global network of partnerships through Marevivo International.

She has contributed to the development of environmental legislation and to the establishment of marine protected areas, including those of Ustica, the Tremiti Islands, Ventotene, Portofino and Milazzo, as well as the underwater parks of Baia and Gaiola and the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals. She has also established delegations across Italy, created a network of divers to monitor seabeds, and founded a sailing division dedicated to observing cetaceans, sea turtles and floating marine litter.

Her work is based on an integrated approach combining scientific research, legislative action, public awareness and environmental education in schools, supported by a constant commitment to monitoring the implementation of environmental regulations.

She founded the journal Marevivo, for which she has published technical and scientific articles, and is the author of the children’s book The Magic of Capri. She has been described as: “If she were a sea… she would be Mediterranean sea”