The Interreg Wastereduce Project,
a joint effort between Italy and Croatia, was introduced at the
University of Trieste to reduce environmental waste,
particularly in protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, through
shared and integrated policies.
The project's goal is to implement specific actions for
monitoring and prevention, ultimately improving the protection
and conservation of nature and biodiversity.
Barbara Sladonja, the project coordinator from the Institute
of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč (Croatia), explained that
due to the growing number of visitors in Italy and Croatia,
"waste is accumulating uncontrollably in land and protected
areas, leading to environmental pollution. Additionally, waste
from rivers and coastal tourism often ends up in the Adriatic,
posing a threat to the aquatic environment".
Joint management is crucial to addressing this significant
environmental issue and avoiding inefficient unilateral
approaches. The project aims to develop, test, and implement a
new integrated and participatory approach tailored to the
specificities of Natura 2000 protected areas to minimize the
harmful effects of waste.
This two-and-a-half-year green project involves collaboration
among research institutes, local administrations, environmental
protection and management agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and service companies. Eight partners are
involved, and the EU funds the project with over 1.6 million
euros.
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