“If a little is good, then a lot must be even better” — it’s true at least when we’re talking about biodiversity. The colorful and rich diversity of living organisms on Earth is the reason we all exist. From microscopic organisms invisible to the eye to animals several meters in size, it is believed that around 8.7 million species, both discovered and undiscovered, exist on Earth. Of these, 200,000 species are estimated to inhabit oceans and seas. But the actual number could be higher, as scientists have only explored 5% of the oceans. And while we wonder what hides in the remaining 95%, we seem to neglect the part we already discovered by continuously putting it under great pressure.
Human activities have contributed to an alarming loss of biodiversity, increasing the rate of species extinction by 1,000 times compared to the natural rate, according to some sources. This increased extinction risk is primarily due to habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, anchoring, invasive species, and overexploitation of natural resources. One particularly problematic activity is mass nautical tourism. Although it is economically important for Croatia, nautical tourism is a significant threat to the biodiversity of the Adriatic Sea. It’s something we have been trying to inform the public about in recent months through the campaign And Where Do You Anchor?.
To successfully address or reduce threats to biodiversity, such as nautical tourism, unsustainable fishing, irresponsible waste management, and similar issues, cooperation between countries is essential — especially those that share a maritime border. Although people have drawn borders, the sea knows no boundaries, and everything harmful happening, for example, in Croatia, also affects Italy and vice versa.
Kick-off meeting of the project in Brindisi
This is precisely why Croatia and Italy joined forces and launched the Interreg project ASPEH – Adriatic SPEcies and Habitats of coastal areas. This project aims to reduce pressure on biodiversity and define common tools and strategies for preserving natural heritage and landscapes in the Adriatic region. The priority is to protect shared species and habitats, or as our partners on the project and we called them on September 11 during the kick-off meeting in Brindisi: “Adriatic treasures”.
Representatives of the Management Consortium of Torre Guaceto (also the lead partner), the Municipality of Fano, the Po Delta Veneto Regional Park, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas in Split-Dalmatia County – SEA AND KARST, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Natural Areas of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, and Sunce have gathered for the first time since the start of the project to discuss the completed and planned activities.
After a brief introduction of all partners and the project activities for which they are responsible, Marin Miletić from the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Italy-Croatia program presented the basic principles of administrative and financial project management.
There was also discussion about the project’s work packages, activities, and the corresponding budgets of the partners.
– Our first goal is to improve biodiversity and environmental quality. How? Through integrated approaches and joint activities, from which we can create tools that support long-term sustainable program growth and the development of conservation plans. Our plan is also to increase knowledge about priority habitats and species and to improve the level of their protection. To this end, we will implement joint pilot actions that test long-term environmental conservation. The ultimate goal is to develop a strategy for better management of Natura 2000 sites and create synergies between conservation measures across Adriatic countries, – reminded Mariantonietta Pinto from the Management Consortium of Torre Guaceto.
Campaign for the protection of species and habitats
One of the first already launched project activities includes Sunce and the coordination of the cross-border communication campaign “Adriatic treasures“. Under the slogan “Every species counts, every habitat matters”, the campaign’s goal is to raise awareness about three habitats and three species present in the Adriatic.
– These include submerged and partially submerged caves, muddy and sandy seabeds that are not covered by the sea at low tide, and Posidonia meadows. As for the species, we will focus on the preservation of the ferruginous duck, the kentish plover, and the loggerhead sea turtle. Through this campaign, we aim to raise awareness about these habitats and species, especially in schools, among tourists, and young people, – emphasized Vida Zrnčić, project manager at Sunce.
Based on the developed conservation plans by partners and the “Adriatic treasures” communication campaign, Sunce will soon organize a cross-border workshop. The workshop will primarily focus on other protected areas in the Adriatic coastal region, with the goal of proposing a model that could be applied to conservation plans in other areas based on the project’s achieved results.
Visit to the marine protected area Torre Guaceto
Apart from the meeting, the partners had the opportunity to visit Torre Guaceto, a nature reserve and protected marine area located along the Adriatic coast in the Upper Salento area, between the cities of Ostuni and Brindisi. The name comes from an old watchtower, part of a system of coastal watchtowers built to protect Puglia from potential maritime attacks. It was built by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558).
What makes this reserve so special today, as highlighted by the project’s main partner, is the diversity of Mediterranean scrub vegetation and a significant number of different animal species. In terms of biodiversity, Torre Guaceto is one of the richest ecosystems in the Mediterranean.
Within the reserve, there is even a Sea Turtle Rescue Center Torre Guaceto, located in Punta Penna Grossa. The Center’s activities, such as rescuing, caring for, and rehabilitating turtles, focus on protecting and preserving this species, which is extremely valuable for the marine ecosystem.
– For sea turtles, including loggerheads, the sex of the turtles is determined by the temperature of the sand in which the eggs are laid. Higher temperatures during incubation result in more females, while lower temperatures produce more males. With global temperatures rising due to climate change, there is concern that an unsustainable gender ratio could develop, which would long-term affect turtle populations. This is an excellent example of the type of information we want to share with the project’s target groups, – Zrnčić recounts.
In addition to the inevitable turtle visit, one of the activities that particularly attract visitors is diving. The sea surrounding the reserve is transparent and turquoise, with a sandy seabed filled with coral formations and meadows of Posidonia oceanica, a key species for the Mediterranean marine ecosystem, whose preservation Sunce has been working on for over 20 years.
Posidonia meadows are major oxygen producers, they protect the coast from erosion, provide food, and serve as a habitat type that offers a suitable place for many organisms to breed and grow. Due to its importance for the marine ecosystem and its sensitivity (it is a slow-growing species threatened by free anchoring of boats), Posidonia is legally protected in Croatia. This species, which is also a habitat, plays a significant role in preserving marine biodiversity, and this is precisely what we aim to protect and strengthen with the ASPEH – Adriatic SPEcies and Habitats of coastal areas project and this cross-border partnership.
