As part of the activities of the EU Horizon project DesirMED, which promotes nature-based solutions for the Mediterranean’s resilience to climate change, a workshop on the application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was held on February 7, 2025. The workshop aimed to adapt the coastal area of the Split-Dalmatia County to climate change. It was hosted at the Faculty of civil engineering, architecture, and geodesy (FGAG) in Split, with a special focus on the Kaštela bay and the cities of Split, Solin, Kaštela, and Trogir.
Split-Dalmatia county as an example of good practice
Martin Bućan from the Administrative department for economy, EU funds and agriculture emphasized that Split-Dalmatia county is the first in Croatia to become a demonstration partner in the project, showcasing examples of good practice to other European regions. He highlighted that this project is a result of synergy and cooperation with Croatian partners, including the Priority actions programme regional activity centre (PAP/RAC), University of Split – FGAG and Sunce.
The goal of the EU Adaptation mission
Ivan Sekovski from the Priority actions programme regional activity centre explained that the DesirMED project is part of the EU Adaptation mission, which aims to help at least 150 European regions become more resilient to climate change by 2030. He stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of transformative nature-based solutions to enhance the long-term resilience of coastal areas.
Participants and plans for Kaštela bay
The workshop brought together representatives of project partners, the academic community, local authorities from the cities of Kaštela and Trogir, civil society organizations, and state institutions such as Croatian forests, Croatian waters, Civil protection directorate and the Croatian meteorological and hydrological service (DHMZ). The goal was to develop a shared vision for the future of Kaštela Bay, using the already adopted Coastal plan of Split-Dalmatia County, Coastal management plan of the City of Kaštela and Climate change adaptation plan for the Jadro river as foundations for implementing green solutions.
Key challenges and potential solutions
During team discussions led by Margita Radman from Sunce, participants identified key obstacles to implementing green solutions. The main challenges included a lack of financial resources, unresolved property and legal issues, an entirely undeveloped stormwater drainage system in all four cities in the bay area, and the fact that none of these cities manage their own coastline or maritime domain.
At the end of the workshop, participants presented their vision for Kaštela bay by 2040, envisioning it as a connected, safe, sustainable, and green area. Proposed solutions included flood-resistant pontoons, the creation of a “green wall” on the slopes of Kozjak, the promotion of permeable surfaces to reduce concrete coverage, and the expansion of protected natural zones. They particularly highlighted the issue of transport connectivity and proposed the introduction of high-speed ferry lines to St. Jeronim airport in Split and nearby islands. Additionally, they suggested uniting the cities and municipalities in Kaštela bay into a larger agglomeration to facilitate applications for major infrastructure projects.
Additional projects and climate risk analysis
Martina Baučić, project manager of the Atlantic-Arctic Agora (A-AAGORA) and professor at FGAG, presented another EU project focused on protecting marine and freshwater ecosystems. She noted that institutional capacity remains a challenge in addressing these issues but pointed to successful solutions from Portugal and Ireland.
Samanta Bačić, a senior assistant at the Department of geodesy and geoinformatics at FGAG, presented previous assessments of climate change and its impact on Kaštela bay. She highlighted that 80% of the population of Split-Dalmatia county lives in coastal settlements such as Split, Kaštela, Trogir and Klis, with Kaštela bay being the most flood-prone area in Croatia.
She specifically pointed out Vranjic as the most vulnerable settlement in the pilot area, emphasizing that due to the area’s intense urbanization, up to 2,000 buildings could be at risk of flooding in the future. She stressed that previous research has provided concrete guidelines for future spatial planning to make cities more sustainable and resilient to increasingly severe climate change impacts.
The DesirMED project is funded through the Horizon Europe program, has a duration of 60 months, and a total budget of nearly 18 million euros.
