On March 28, the Regional Agency DUNEA organized the second in a series of four workshops for local stakeholders within the framework of the COASTRUST project at the premises of the City Hall in Opuzen.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders from different sectors with the aim of developing strategies for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in the Neretva Valley. In addition to the organizers, the Regional Agency DUNEA, the event was also attended by associated project partners, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of Dubrovnik Neretva County, while the Nature & Adventure organization attended the workshop as an external expert.
The workshop and LAG meeting was attended by representatives of regional and local government, the entrepreneurial sector, the scientific and professional community, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, as well as agricultural producers, who together discussed future guidelines for the protection and sustainable management of natural resources in this environmentally sensitive area.
A review was made of the results of the first workshop, which laid the foundations for further work and cooperation of all parties involved.
The workshop continued through group work – a SWOT analysis of the capacities for joint management of the target area, which identified opportunities and threats in the context of future management of the Neretva Valley, and the participants further elaborated on the proposals and detected possible measures for improving cooperation and resource management.
This was followed by presentations of the draft structure of the Guidelines for the Conservation of Biodiversity of the Neretva Valley, and a representative of the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of the DNC presented the Activities of the Management Plan for Protected Areas and Areas of the Delta Neretva Ecological Network (2023-2032).
Also, through group work, key elements of the action plan of the Guidelines were identified that will follow the guidelines for the conservation of biodiversity, elaborating specific steps and activities.
At the end of the workshop, the Regional Agency DUNEA and Nature & Adventure summarized key conclusions such as the importance of educating the general public, especially school children, hunters and farmers, on issues of preserving the biodiversity of the Neretva Valley, and emphasizing the importance of further cooperation at both the institutional and operational levels.
Workshops serve as a vital tool for engaging the local community and ensuring the long-term sustainability of planned natural resource protection and management efforts. Throughout the four workshops, local stakeholders will come together to form a local action group, collaboratively identifying measures for restoring degraded areas, improving resource management, and—most importantly—promoting and implementing the Coastal Management Agreement (“Stewardship Agreement”).
