With this plugin, you can prevent dropped items from being destroyed by explosions without needing to turn off mob griefing. Item protection works on a world-by-world basis, so you can use it in the overworld without having to also use it in the nether, end, or other worlds you might have. It also now works on a chunk-by-chunk basis, so you can have a world protected except for a certain area which is unprotected, or a world unprotected except for a certain area which is protected.

WARNING: If updating to 1.1.0 from 1.0.0, it may be necessary to delete worlds.json if experiencing errors.

Commands:
/nie - Typing this will show whether the world (and chunk if applicable) you're standing in is currently protecting items from explosion damage.
/nie [on|off] - This will set your current world to either protect (if on) or unprotect (if off) items from explosions.
/nie chunk [on|off] - This will set your current chunk to either protect (if on) or unprotect (if off) items from explosions.

Permissions:
noitemexplode.set.* - Gives access to all plugin permissions
noitemexplode.set.world - Lets player set item protection of worlds
noitemexplode.set.chunk - Lets player set item protection of chunks
noitemexplode.view - Basic permission necessary to use /nie in any fashion. This permission is given by default if player has any of the other permissions.

If you have any questions or suggestions, post them in the replies, or if you notice any issues, please report them on the plugin's GitHub page.