We are honoured to have been invited to present our work at a workshop titled EMODnet Marine Data for the Coastal Tourism Sector (26-27 September), which was co-organised by the European Commission Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet).
During the session Use cases of open-source EMODnet and wider data and data products to support, optimise, and innovate the coastal tourism sector, our CEO, Mario Špadina, talked about his efforts over the last couple of years in bringing marine data and satellite technologies to coastal tourism in Croatia, with the goal of sustainable marine resource management.
Driven by a scientific mindset, Mario focused on constructive feedback, primarily within our own sector of industry and academia, and explained how integrated biochemical and physical marine data, along with surveillance and anthropogenic activity data, are used to deliver estimates of environmental pressures on coastal and remote areas. We showcased some marine protected areas, natural parks, Natura 2000 sites, as well as urbanized coastlines on islands.
Some of the more pronounced influences on Croatia’s coastal marine environment are nautical tourism and overpopulated coastlines during the touristic season, which add additional pressure on sewage water discharges.
Big thanks to the organisers and fellow presenters — the workshop was highly relevant and essential for the interconnected goals of restoring the marine environment and preserving coastal tourism.