Priority Axis 2: Sustainable Region

Specific Objective 2.1

Promote the sustainable valorisation and preservation of natural and cultural assets as growth assets in the Adriatic-Ionian area

The Adriatic and Ionian region gave birth to the most significant ancient civilizations, their influence is still present in the modern world. Its richness in environmental and cultural heritage (sea, mountains, forests, wetlands, cultural landscapes, art heritage cities ) also quantified by the many UNESCO and NATURA 2000 protected areas is jeopardized by fragile ecosystems due to eutrophication and pollution of marine and maritime areas, growing households waste production and urban growth stressing cultural and natural potentials.

ADRION will contribute to:

  • Establish a common understanding among ADRION Partner States on the potential fields of transnational cooperation in tourism and consensus building on the content of sustainable valorisation and tourism under an ADRION brand
  • Enhance competencies/skills of stakeholders and involved parties in the fields of sustainable valorisation and tourism
  • Enhance the “body of knowledge” through transnational research, pilots, tools and experimentation
  • Well define and develop transnational identity, as well as awareness of common heritage as an orientation framework for individual actions
  • Improve involvement of tourism stakeholders, visitors and society for the development of jointly agreed utilisation approaches
  • Preserve natural and cultural heritage, valorised within the programme area brand name
  • Diversify tourism products along topic, season, target group and environmental and social impact

Main Result Indicator

Increase the level of capacity for the stakeholders in the fields of natural and cultural heritage protection and tourism to sustainably valorise natural and cultural heritage as a growth asset.

Specific Objective 2.2

Enhance the capacity in transnationally tackling environmental vulnerability, fragmentation, and safeguarding ecosystem services in the ADRION area

The rich and extraordinary environment characterising the area is strongly confronted by natural risks (floods, drought, fires, storms and earthquakes), sharpened by the climatic changes, deregulated urbanisation and low adaptation measures.

ADRION will contribute to:

  • Enhance common understanding among ADRION Partner States for the status quo, the international and EU framework and the remaining needs of transnational cooperation in the fields of environmental protection, biodiversity management, ecosystem services and climate change adaptation
  • Enhance the competencies/skills of the stakeholders and involved parties
  • Increased availability of data and information for delivering evidence based responses through interoperability and systematic monitoring
  • Increase transnational cooperation, exchange and communication among authorities and civil society organisations
  • Harmonise infrastructures, management structures and hazard or risk response mechanisms
  • Increase number of the state-of-the-art management and planning tools

Main Result Indicator

Increase the level of capacity of the involved organisations to operate transnational, providing service and management regarding environmental vulnerability, fragmentation, and the safeguarding of the ecosystems’ services.