October the 28th, 2024 – A cross border plastic litter project is focusing on the underwater world beneath the Croatian Adriatic, which tragically isn’t often as clean as we assume.
As Morski writes, the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries has announced that it has become partner in an important new international project within the INTERREG IPA Adrion programme entitled “Enhancing Cross-Border Cooperation for Riverine Plastic Litter Reduction in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas”.
“The overarching goal of this commendable project is to investigate the role and contribution of rivers in marine plastic pollution in the Adriatic-Ionian region. The project also aims to develop and implement mitigation strategies aimed at addressing the introduction of river waste into the sea. Specifically, the project will focus on the following things:
The adoption of new and state-of-the-art methodologies and the implementation of the coordinated monitoring of river waste within selected rivers.
Examining solutions that prevent and mitigate sea pollution with river waste.
The establishment of the proper foundations for the development of a sustainable and effective plan for the management and reduction of river waste in the entire Adriatic-Ionian region.
Reducing the harmful impact of river waste on the marine environment and biological diversity of the region by encouraging cross-border cooperation, promoting dialogue with stakeholders and implementing activities at multiple levels.
The leading partner of the project is the Chemical Institute from Ljubljana, while the other partners are as follows:
Metković, Ispra – Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, The Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development, MIO – ECSDE, The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research from Greece, the Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Montenegro, the Water Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, the University of Tirana, Albania, and the City of Capljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatian waters are hailed by the press from far and wide for its crystalline, azure depths and quality levels for swimmers. However, plastic waste has historically been and remains a serious issue for the Croatian Adriatic, and with this country’s tourism depending so heavily on the coast, it is of paramount importance that this pressing issue is dealt with in a sustainable and long-lasting way.
