{"id":34485,"date":"2025-10-21T11:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T09:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/?p=34485"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T09:06:10","slug":"training-in-komiza-reveals-measures-for-marine-habitat-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/training-in-komiza-reveals-measures-for-marine-habitat-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-border expert training in Komi\u017ea reveals key measures for marine habitat conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Adriatic Sea is more than just a body of water separating two countries. We rely on it for our livelihoods, travel across it, and relax by it, but it is much more than that: a complex ecosystem that needs to be understood and protected. With that in mind, the Interreg project ASPEH \u2013 Adriatic SPEcies and Habitats of coastal areas<\/strong><\/a> was created, bringing together Croatian and Italian partners with a shared goal: to increase knowledge and improve the effectiveness of protecting vulnerable marine habitats and species in the Adriatic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the project, from October 6 to 8<\/strong>, Sunce organized a cross-border training<\/strong> in Komi\u017ea titled \u201cStrengthening Capacities fot the Implementation of Habitat Conservation Measures<\/strong>\u201d. The first day also included a meeting of the project partners. In addition to the partners, various representatives from institutions responsible for nature protection and habitat management participated. The training focused on three habitats that form the biological and ecological backbone of the Adriatic: Posidonia meadows<\/strong>, natural beaches<\/strong>, and marine caves<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest findings, challenges, and practical solutions for the conservation of selected Adriatic habitats, through both classroom-based theory and hands-on field activities. Discover how, over three days of expert training, we were strenghtening our capacities for implementing marine and coastal habitat conservation measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Posidonia \u2013 the endangered guardian of the seabed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Its dense underwater \u201cforest\u201d may sometimes seem mysterious or even intimidating, but this seagrass<\/a> is not a threat, it is the heart and lungs of our sea. Posidonia<\/a> plays an immensely important ecological role in the Mediterranean, yet unfortunately, its meadows are disappearing under multiple pressures: anchoring, coastal development, pollution, and rising sea temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the most endangered habitats in the Mediterranean, Posidonia meadows require careful monitoring. Dr. Andrea Rismondo (SELC Cooperative Company)<\/strong>, working within the Interreg BIOPRESSADRIA project<\/a>, emphasized the importance of tracking the condition of these meadows. According to Rismondo, monitoring seagrasses is crucial for identifying threats to the habitat and finding solutions before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2013 Although Posidonia meadow protection is clearly defined in European directives, implementation at the local level is often inconsistent. Protection measures are unequal and sometimes remain only on paper. It is necessary to monitor each location individually and implement applicable measures to ensure real and not just declarative protection. The \u2018from small to large\u2019 approach (upscaling) has proven more effective than universal rules, which are difficult to apply across different sites. In this sense, projects like BIOPRESSADRIA and ASPEH<\/strong> show how monitoring<\/strong> can have a direct, practical role in protecting marine ecosystems, \u2013 Rismondo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the monitoring discussion tangible, we visited Ston\u010dica beach on Vis, where Sunce staff members Matea \u0160pika and Karla Jeli\u0107 <\/strong>demonstrated fieldwork. Drawing on years of diving experience, they showed what underwater monitoring looks like and what divers actually record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 We count the Posidonia shoots within a square plot placed at around 12 meters underwater. Counting underwater is very challenging, and it\u2019s possible to survey only up to two sites per day. But it\u2019s all worth it because by monitoring the density and coverage of the seabed with Posidonia, Sunce has been helping protected areas improve their management<\/strong> for nearly two decades, \u2013 \u0160pika explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Natural beaches \u2013 geological heritage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The training also focused on beaches, specifically muddy and sandy seabeds that are not covered by the sea at low tide. Although a recognizable face of the Adriatic, beaches are among its most vulnerable habitats. They are dynamic, alive, and subject to constant change brought by waves, winds, and currents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kristina Pikelj<\/strong>, a marine geologist<\/strong> studying seabed and coastal sediment processes, spoke about this habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 This habitat may not have high biodiversity, but it holds great ecological value and therefore must be protected. In conservation, we often focus on species, but what about geological heritage? For example, some Croatian beaches contain biogenic sand, which forms from the remains of living organisms rather than the breakdown of rocks, as with conventional mineral sand. This is a rarity globally, yet few are aware of it. On our side of the Adriatic, knowledge of beaches has been limited; we have only recently started to understand the problem of erosion, \u2013 said Pikelj, who is also associate professor at the Department of Geography, University of Zagreb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to lack of awareness, beaches today face multiple pressures \u2013 from tourism, pollution, and coastal interventions to climate change-induced sea-level rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 As sea levels rise, coastal habitats shift inland. But when the coast is built up, the beach has nowhere to expand and may simply disappear, something I\u2019m sure no one in Croatia wants to see happen, \u2013 Pikelj warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dynamic was clear during the field visit to Ston\u010dica beach, where Pikelj demonstrated practical beach research. Using surveying equipment, she showed how beaches are profiled<\/strong> and what these measurements reveal; from sand movement to the impacts of waves and human activities. On-site, it was evident how the construction of houses and retaining walls along the coast<\/strong> disrupts the natural dynamics by blocking the necessary supply of material to the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Despite the presence of marine litter, among the material washed ashore, traces of life can still be found: shells, snails, cuttlefish bones, and wolk eggs. These details remind us that beaches are a mix of diverse natural processes, yet spaces that require careful management. Profiling and monitoring changes are the first steps in understanding how to protect them because once a beach disappears, it is nearly impossible to restore it, \u2013 Pikelj explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marine caves \u2013 worlds in the dark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third part of the training focused on submerged and semi-submerged marine caves \u2013 mysterious spaces shaped by waves and time, hosting an entire hidden world. These are geomorphological natural monuments <\/strong>and sensitive ecosystems that respond to even minor changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Within ASPEH, we monitored the state of the Green Cave<\/strong>, but this is only a single monitoring effort. A program of continuous cave monitoring, especially for those under high visitor pressure, needs to be established nationally. Humans exert the greatest pressure on these habitats. Everyone wants the ultimate experience while on vacation; many want to enter the caves without guides\u2026 People are unaware, and shocked when we explain that this threatens both the cave and its living world. To protect these habitats, we first need to understand them, but unfortunately, very few people do, \u2013 clarified Jelena Kurtovi\u0107 Mr\u010deli\u0107 from the Public Institution \u201cSea and Karst\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although about 300 marine caves have been recorded in Croatia, it is estimated there are more than a thousand. Apart from Dr. Donat Petricioli and Dr. Tatjana Bakran-Petricioli<\/strong>, no one in Croatia systematically studies the biology of these habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2013 We have very few young speleologists and biologists, which makes this field particularly valuable and demanding. Additionally, diving regulations are insufficient, and working in marine caves is, for safety reasons, only safe for experienced divers and speleologists! \u2013 the Petriciolis warned<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the practical part, Josip Boban from Public Institution \u201cSea and Karst\u201d<\/strong> <\/strong>put on a diving gear and all the necessary equipment to demonstrate the challenges of working in marine caves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ASPEH for marine habitat conservation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During this three-day event, Sunce also organized an exhibition<\/strong> from the Adriatic Treasures<\/em> photo contest<\/a>, showing how nature photography<\/a> can be an excellent tool for raising awareness about nature conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vida Zrn\u010di\u0107 from Sunce <\/strong>concluded the training with a key thought: awareness is the foundation of a sustainable future<\/strong> \u2013 not only for protected areas but for the entire coastal zone, which increasingly feels the pressures of tourism and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This is why ASPEH runs the Adriatic Treasures<\/em> campaign<\/strong>, emphasizing that Posidonia meadows, natural beaches, and marine caves are not just parts of the landscape \u2013 they are symbols of both the richness and fragility of the Adriatic. In November, a similar training will take place in Puglia, Italy<\/strong>, focusing on three species whose protection the project aims to enhance: the kentish plover, the ferruginous duck, and the loggerhead turtle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow our campaign<\/a> to discover why every species counts and why every habitat matters<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"aspeh-interreg-eu\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The marine habitat conservation training, organized as part of ASPEH, focused on Posidonia meadows, natural beaches, and sea caves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1269,5],"tags":[1301,1381,1267,211],"class_list":["post-34485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aspeh-adriatic-species-and-habitats-of-coastal-areas-en","category-news","tag-adriatic-sea","tag-adriatic-treasures","tag-aspeh","tag-posidonia-oceanica"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34485"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34489,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34485\/revisions\/34489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}