The high demand from tourists for the last oases of the Mediterranean, and consequently the growing offer of excursions, gastronomy and an increasingly wide range of souvenirs, are putting significant pressure on the natural balance of Croatian tourist destinations.
As part of the Interreg project WASTEREDUCE and the Plastic-Free Croatian Island project, employees of Sunce conducted field research on Dugi Otok, analyzing the attitudes of concessionaires and visitors to the Telašćica Nature Park and Sakarun beach regarding waste management in those areas.
– It is important for us to hear first-hand information and the opinions of people who run their businesses or have chosen the location as a tourist destination in one of the mentioned pilot areas, – said project manager Dalka Zanki, announcing the continuation of project activities on Dugi Otok.
Within the WASTEREDUCE project, Sunce, together with Italian partners, aims to improve waste management in protected areas and Natura 2000 sites through monitoring, prevention and mitigation actions. During this visit to Dugi Otok, Sunce staff surveyed visitors and analyzed the waste left by visitors at Sakarun.
Through collaboration with the public institutions Natura Jadera and the Telašćica Nature Park, as well as the Municipality of Sali, Sunce is working within the Plastic-Free Croatian Island project to identify the best solutions and develop a decision for concessionaires aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics in protected areas. To ensure that the proposed decision is well-accepted and effectively implemented, a questionnaire was designed for concessionaires, serving as a starting point for further activities.
– The WASTEREDUCE and Plastic-Free Croatian Island projects complement each other synergistically. It’s truly interesting and ecologically valuable to hear the perspectives of all parties. While visitors share their tourist impressions, concessionaires face their own challenges at the same locations—and everyone is concerned about pollution caused by waste, – said Zanki.
Is a symbiosis between tourism and ecology possible?
According to key findings on environmental quality and pollution in the Adriatic, the level of floating waste in the Adriatic is relatively higher compared to the rest of the Mediterranean Sea, with the majority consisting of plastic. It is important to emphasize that 80% of marine litter originates from land-based sources or is the result of land-based activities, which, in this case, includes tourism and an insufficiently effective waste management system on Dugi Otok.
– The contracts we sign with concessionaires contain provisions prohibiting waste disposal within the nature park, – said Vesna Petešić, head of the subdepartment for project preparation and implementation at the Telašćica Nature Park. This is confirmed by concessionaires, who report that after their daily excursions, all their waste is disposed of at their boat departure locations, such as Zadar, Biograd na Moru, Petrčane, Ugljan, Pašman and other nearby places from which visitors set off to explore the island’s preserved natural treasures.
Almost all of them use single-use plastics in their daily operations. Although most beach bar concessionaires still rely on single-use plastic in their everyday business, Sunce is working to encourage hospitality providers to introduce a deposit-return system for cups wherever possible. This way, some guests can keep reusable cups as souvenirs, while returned ones can be cleaned by companies that provide maintenance services further contributing to environmental protection.
– And where are we supposed to wash up to a hundred cups a day on a cramped boat where every item has its exact place? We don’t have a dishwasher, nor do we have space to install one, – complain boat operators in response to criticism about the use of single-use plastic.
Still, all concessionaires acknowledge that pollution from single-use plastics must be stopped and that much more effort is needed to help protect the environment. – Introducing reusable solutions into our businesses would be possible with financial and educational support, as well as cooperation with the relevant institutions, – they emphasize.
Visitors and their impact on Natura 2000 areas
Sakarun, one of the most beautiful beaches on the Adriatic, is part of the Natura 2000 ecological network. However, depending on weather and other conditions, Sakarun can become almost unrecognizable, to the point where visitors complain that they feel misled and regret coming to the beach at all, said Šenol Selimović, Director of the Božava Tourist Board.
A total of one hundred visitors to Sakarun, who were approached by Sunce employees during their field research, completed a survey about their waste disposal habits. The survey was designed by the University of Trieste as part of the WASTEREDUCE project, aiming to map the habits, behaviors, and attitudes of visitors to Natura 2000 areas.
– The environment here is heavily polluted with waste, mostly plastic. There aren’t enough bins, and people are irresponsible. I think there should be fines for littering, – said Martin, a visitor from Slovakia, whom we found spending his first day at Sakarun collecting trash in the shade of a pine grove—where many seek refuge from the heat.
Martin is proof that anyone can play a role in protecting the environment and making it more enjoyable for everyone. According to Jelena Mihić, an employee of the municipal company Mulić d.o.o., more and more tourists are becoming environmentally conscious.
– I remember every tourist I find spending their holiday cleaning the beach because they can’t bear to see the condition of one of Croatia’s most talked-about beaches, – Jelena said.
The public institution Natura Jadera manages this area, and from May to October, rangers spend two days each week in the northwestern part of Dugi Otok, which includes Sakarun. – Every year before the season starts, we clean Sakarun from marine litter together with students from the school in Gračac, – said one of the three rangers, Josip Brajković.
What can we learn from the waste on Sakarun?
– Cigarette butts, single-use plastic cups, paper and plastic straws, food packaging, tissues, as well as clothing and beach equipment are the most common items we found during our waste monitoring on Sakarun, – said Dalka Zanki.
As part of the WASTEREDUCE project, Sunce employees conducted monitoring on two consecutive days, three times a day. The goal of this activity was to record the amount and composition of waste left behind by visitors. Monitoring was carried out in the morning before visitors arrived, in the afternoon during their stay on the beach, and in the evening after everyone had left.
Most of the waste was found in the shade of the pine trees, which Martin, mentioned earlier, was cleaning. Seeking refuge from the sun and carrying drinks and food boxes purchased from nearby hospitality establishments, visitors find their spot in the only shaded area on this 300-meter-long beach to rest after enjoying the sea. But after eating, where do the empty boxes, cups, cans and bags go?
In conversations with visitors and locals, as well as during the survey, the most common complaints were about the insufficient number of bins and the infrequent emptying of the existing ones. The most conscientious visitors carry their waste with them, but such people are truly few.
The project manager stated that Sunce will continue its collaboration with the Municipality of Sali, which began as part of the now-completed project Marine Litter-Free Dalmatian Islands. This project aimed to empower the local community to independently collect data on marine litter distribution. One of its outcomes was the development of a network of local initiatives, organizations, and educational institutions from the Dalmatian islands. Over the next two years, during the implementation of the WASTEREDUCE and Plastic-Free Croatian Island projects, efforts will focus on improving waste management in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders on Dugi Otok.
– The municipal company Mulić d.o.o. is responsible for all public utility services; however, there is still no functional system for separate waste collection on the entire island, – Petešić told us, emphasizing that this is an issue that needs to be addressed systematically and should be handled by the competent authority.
What do you have to do with waste on the beaches?
You have the power to keep beaches clean! Reduce the waste you produce, clean up after yourself and others and help educate those around you. Join cleanup actions like those organized by Sunce on Dugi Otok, and be an active, responsible member of the community.
Natura 2000 and protected areas like Sakarun and Telašćica are facing the environmental challenge of excessive waste. It’s a complex issue that reaches across all levels of society—from responsible institutions, entrepreneurs, and local residents, to the visitor who spends just one hour at these destinations.
You can be a positive example of waste management on a personal level and share your knowledge with others. If you notice a threat to the environment, call the Green Phone of Zadar County at 072 123 456.
By combining systematic solutions, better waste management, and personal responsibility, we can preserve the natural beauty of Dugi Otok for future generations.
