UNDP-GEF Project Writeups

UNDP-GEF PROJECT WRITEUPS

A partnership funded by GEF and implemented by UNDP

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Basic Project INFO

FOCAL AREA:
Biodiversity
PROJECT TITLE:
Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the Dalmatian Coast through Greening Coastal Development – COAST
PROJECT NUMBER:
COUNTRY:
PROJECT STATUS:
PROJECT DOWNLOAD (WORD)

Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the Dalmatian Coast through Greening Coastal Development – COAST

Overview

The Dalmatian Coast of Croatia is made up of a unique mosaic of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The area is dominated by a limestone geological base, with a distinctive Karst relief. The coast is a repository of biodiversity on account of its unique bio-geographic position, plus the fact that it was a refuge for plants and animals during the last Ice Age. The Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Region prepared with support from UNEP-GEF identified the Dalmatian coast as one of three priority areas for conservation in the Mediterranean and over 38 percent of the coast’s natural habitats are listed in the EU Habitat Directive. Recent economic developments coupled with the collapse of environmental management systems in Croatia have allowed the growing local tourism, fisheries and agriculture industries to have an increasingly negative impact on biodiversity. Many unique habitats are in danger of being lost: out of 5,835 km of total coast length, 837 km had been developed by 2000. Another 1,553 km of the coastline is designated for development by 2015.

There are 698 islands, 389 islets and 78 reefs in the Croatian archipelago, which makes it the largest archipelago in the Adriatic Sea, and the second largest in the Mediterranean. The Adriatic has large numbers of endemic flora and fauna including endemic Posidonia sea grass meadows which provide habitats for many species and are an internationally important area for juvenile populations of the loggerhead turtle. Posidonia beds are threatened across the Mediterranean although in Croatia they still cover rather large areas of coastal waters up to 50 meters deep.

Project description

The COAST project aims to help Croatia seize a unique and short-lived opportunity to improve nature conservation on the Dalmatian Coast before current unsustainable development trends cause irreversible damage to its ecosystems.

The overall objective of the project is to transform the existing actions, practices and approaches of private sector operators working in the tourism, agriculture and fisheries industries in the four coastal counties by mainstreaming biodiversity conservation concerns into their planning and operations.

It aims to achieve this by directly initiating changes in the sectors and by transforming the forces that drive them, including the banking sector, the EU Accession process, the regional planning system and the PA management system. In total, the project is promoting biodiversity mainstreaming on 663,000 ha of productive landscape and 702,000 ha of seascape.

SELECTED PROJECT RESULTS

The project is playing a critical role in the sustainable development of the Dalmatian coast by contributing to the management of Ecological Networks, sensitive areas where conservation objectives are to be integrated into production practices to ensure biodiversity is protected.
The project has several innovative and demonstrative aspects designed to address institutional, investment and market barriers. It is helping to modify the banking sector to ensure financial sustainability; use sector champions able to push the environment agenda – to mainstream biodiversity into the work programmes of key organizations, in order to generate ownership and ensure institutional sustainability; and directly catalyse pro-biodiversity initiatives by local stakeholders

Investment and market barrier removal activities

The project is creating a Biodiversity Business Facility to support biodiversity-friendly business development. The Facility, which is being established in four county development agencies, will focus on promoting niche businesses in agriculture, tourism and fisheries that can have a positive impact on biodiversity. The Facility will focus on assisting those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which obtain commercial value from biodiversity by: providing technical guidance to integrate biodiversity management into production; stimulating demand for their products and services; and helping businesses source capital by providing access to affordable financing and financial incentives – including partial risk guarantees and small grants. It will also provide support during business development and link these activities to EU policy development on agri-environmental schemes, business and biodiversity.
The project is supporting the development and implementation of biodiversity-friendly tourism through a Destination Area Tourism Management Plan which will guide tourism development over the coming years, and encourage the diversification of tourism products.
The project is providing support for the design and implementation of eco-friendly practices and in obtaining eco-certificates for traditional agricultural businesses including: livestock, olives and olive oil, orchards, processed fruit products such as jams, vegetables, vineyards and wine, wildflowers and flower cultivation and licensing.
The Facility will support small-scale sustainable fisheries, marine tourism and sport fishing as well as shellfish farming. The Facility will also determine how many of the current 10,000 small-scale fishermen could reduce their dependency on fishing – and thus reduce fishing pressures – by diversifying into sport fishing and nature tourism.

Newsletter: No

Website: http://www.undp.hr/coast/

Partners: Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction as implementing agency, other ministries, state institutions and county governments

This page posted 17.8.2008