Industrialization, the development of science and new technologies, accelerated urbanization, and population growth contribute to the creation of increasingly large amounts of waste. Improper waste disposal in nature increases the risk of pollution and threatens the health of humans and other living beings. Therefore, waste and its disposal are two of the key environmental issues of today. The WASTEREDUCE project aims to improve waste management in protected areas and Natura 2000 areas through concrete actions of monitoring, prevention, and mitigation of waste impacts to enhance nature protection and biodiversity conservation. The focus is on improved waste management strategies and innovative solutions (digital solutions). The project includes targeted actions in pilot areas in different countries. In the territory of the Veneto region, an area related to part of the Brenta River has been identified, while in Croatia, two pilot areas have been selected: the western coast of Istria and Sakarun Beach on Dugi Otok. The expected changes through the implementation of the project are:

• • improvement of existing waste management policies and practices;

• • raising awareness and behavior of visitors and other stakeholders towards waste;

• • reduction of environmental and socio-economic costs of waste management;

• • enhancement of stakeholder cooperation, including private and public sectors, at cross-border; national, regional, and local levels in waste management.

Project partners

1. 1. Institute of Agriculture and Tourism – IPTPO (Croatia)

1. 1. University of Trieste – UNITS (Italy)

1. 1. Etra Spa – ETRA (Italy)

1. 1. Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of Veneto – ARPAV (Italy)

1. 1. ETIFOR Srl Benefit Company – ETIFOR (Italy)

1. 1. Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development Sunce – Sunce (Croatia)

1. 1. Public Institution Natura Histrica – Natura Histrica (Croatia)

1. 1. Istria County – IŽ (Croatia)

Associated partner – Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature Zadar County – Natura Jadera.

Project Activities:

1. 1. development of cross-border participation strategies in waste reduction

1. 1. awareness-raising and pilot activities

1. 1. education and training of participants in protected and Natura 2000 areas

1. 1. identification of waste reduction measures (analysis in collaboration with stakeholders)

1. 1. action plan

1. 1. implementation of waste sorting and disposal solutions adapted to the specificities of protected and Natura 2000 areas

1. 1. organization of public events and networking

1. 1. underwater cleaning actions in pilot areas

1. 1. monitoring and supervision of locations where waste systematically accumulates

• • development and establishment of WASTEREDUCE areas with implemented WASTEREDUCE concept

• • workshops with stakeholders (proposing new locations for implementation of the WASTEREDUCE concept in protected and Natura 2000 areas)

• • final conference.

Project duration: February 1, 2024, to July 31, 2026 (30 months) Project lead partner: Institute of Agriculture and Tourism – IPTPO (Croatia) Total project budget: 1,657,742, of which 1,326,193.78 euros are from the ERDF fund (80%). Total SUNCE budget: 222,240.00, of which 177,792.00 euros are from the ERDF fund (80%). Project Manager at SUNCE: Tea Kuzmičić Rosandić, MSc in Biology and Ecology Email: [email protected] Link to the official project website: WASTEREDUCE