Final Conference of the EFFICIENTN2K Project in Ugento
05/12/2024
While the Natura 2000 network has laid the groundwork for nature conservation, the greatest challenges remain in effective on-the-ground implementation. The importance of quality monitoring and collaboration—particularly for coastal and marine areas, where divided institutional responsibilities complicate management—was discussed at the closing conference of the EFFICIENTN2K project, held on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at the Visitor Center of the Ugento Regional Nature Park in Torre San Giovanni. This event was organized by the Municipality of Ugento and the Ugento Regional Nature Park, with support from the lead partner, Sunce Association.
In addition to marking the end of the project’s activities, the conference highlighted how this project has proven crucial for advancing innovative strategies and fostering cross-border collaboration in the sustainable management of Natura 2000 coastal and marine areas.
– Coastal and marine areas of the Natura 2000 network are under significant pressures – in both Croatia and Italy. They are most threatened by human activities such as unsustainable fishing, unrestricted anchoring of boats, wastewater discharge, and more. Sunce and the Municipality of Ugento recognized the importance of addressing these pressures and last year developed the EFFICIENTN2K project to enhance monitoring and implementation in protected coastal and marine Natura 2000 areas in Italy and Croatia, while ensuring biodiversity conservation and protection of key natural resources, – explained Matea Špika, project manager.
Strengthening Stakeholder Collaboration
The conference opened with an introductory speech by Salvatore Chiga, Mayor of Ugento and coordinator of FEDERPARCHI Apulia, who emphasized the importance of long-term collaboration among institutions and local stakeholders:
– The conference provides an excellent opportunity for dialogue and strengthening lasting collaboration among various institutional bodies and organizations involved in managing and monitoring Natura 2000 protected areas. The shared goal is to increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation and protection.
Other speakers included Giuseppe Scordella, director of the Ugento Regional Nature Park, and Serena Triggiani, regional councilor for the environment in Apulia, who highlighted the alignment of project activities with regional environmental conservation strategies.
Rocky Malatesta, Vice President of FEDERPARCHI, underscored the importance of building international networks for Natura 2000 site managers, while Marin Miletić, project manager for the Interreg Italy-Croatia program, presented upcoming funding opportunities.
Practical Demonstrations and Local Community Involvement
Technical presentations provided a practical dimension to the discussions. The Lecce Fire Brigade demonstrated their coordination mechanisms for preventing fires, while the Forestry Police from Tricase presented advanced technologies for monitoring illegal waste disposal and fire risks. The potential of technology in monitoring and on-site tracking is immense and should be encouraged in the future.
The conference also discussed the involvement of local communities. Representatives of local authorities, such as the Regional Agency for Irrigation and Forestry Activities, and international participants, including Kornati National Park and Sunce, shared their experiences:
– Active involvement of the local community is crucial in managing Natura 2000 areas. The persistence of the local community signals to responsible institutions that changes are necessary and that new practices are needed. This inevitably leads to increased institutional capacity and further influences changes in awareness and behavior. Throughout the implementation period, we worked intensively on improving collaboration among competent authorities and building their capacities. Joint workshops, capacity-building training, and monitoring actions in Natura 2000 areas have proven that collaboration can enhance monitoring and implementation effectiveness. Despite a lack of financial and human resources and the need to improve the legal framework in both countries, the project has shown that strengthening cooperation among competent authorities can help overcome institutional and legal system weaknesses, – said Matea Špika of Sunce.
Additionally, the presence of students from the De Viti De Marco Technical Institute in Casarano underscored the importance of raising awareness among younger generations about environmental and nature conservation.
Matea Špika of Sunce presented the key recommendations arising from the project’s activities, which will be further elaborated on soon.
Biodiversity Conservation at the Heart of Sunce’s Work
At the end of the conference, participants reaffirmed their commitment to the EFFICIENTN2K mission, while the Municipality of Ugento and Sunce, together with the Ugento Regional Nature Park, reminded attendees of the importance of biodiversity conservation.
– The project recommendations will be used to develop new project ideas and as a foundational document to better understand where to direct future advocacy actions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of conservation in coastal and marine Natura 2000 areas, – said Ana Miletić Miloš of Sunce.
Let us remember, Natura 2000 is an ecological network composed of areas significant for the conservation of endangered species and habitat types within the European Union. Its goal is to maintain or restore the favorable status of over a thousand endangered and rare species and around 230 natural and semi-natural habitat types. To date, approximately 27,500 areas covering nearly 20% of the EU’s territory have been included in this ecological network, making it the largest system of protected areas in the world, as noted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition.
One thing is clear: with a strong focus on innovation, collaboration, and community involvement, the EFFICIENTN2K project has laid a solid foundation for future efforts toward more effective management of coastal and marine protected areas.