BIOPRESSADRIA final event

SATELLITES, ECO-FRIENDLY MOORINGS, AND NEW REGULATIONS:

CORILA HOSTS THE PRESENTATION OF RESULTS FROM THE INTERREG ITALY-CROATIA PROJECT “BIOPRESSADRIA” IN VENICE

The final conference—focused on reconciling recreational boating with the protection of the seabed—was held on November 10–11, 2026, at Palazzo Grandi Stazioni,

culminating in the signing of a memorandum of understanding that establishes the BIOPRESSADRIA network.

 

How can the development of the nautical sector be reconciled with the conservation of marine habitats? Identifying areas in need of protection is the first step. This also requires data on where pressures are concentrated, alternatives to damaging anchoring practices, and regulations that can be applied over time. This need gave rise to BIOPRESSADRIA—an Interreg Italy-Croatia project—which is presenting the results of nearly three years of work across five pilot sites in Venice today and tomorrow.

The final conference, hosted by CORILA at Palazzo Grandi Stazioni, is organized by the Municipality of Monfalcone—the project’s lead partner—in collaboration with CORILA and SELC. CORILA’s contribution to the project includes satellite monitoring of vessel distribution, bioacoustic monitoring of mooring areas, and stakeholder engagement, with support from project partners CNR-ISP and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

Where is the pressure on habitats concentrated?

This issue is of particular relevance to the Veneto region. According to 2025 data from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, there are 5,348 boat berths in Veneto, 2,252 of which are located within the Municipality of Venice. There are 5,993 registered recreational vessels—a ratio of 112.1 boats for every 100 berths, the highest figure in Italy.
These figures indicate the total number of boats; however, when it comes to the seabed, what matters is where they drop anchor. Anchors and chains can cause direct damage to seagrass meadows by uprooting plants and altering the seafloor. In the case of *Posidonia oceanica*—a species characteristic of many stretches of the Adriatic coast—its slow growth rate makes the restoration of damaged areas particularly difficult.
Satellite monitoring conducted in 2023 and 2025 in the Kornati National Park, the Pakleni Islands, and various sites in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County revealed that between 25% and 65% of the observed vessels were anchored over *Posidonia* meadows. The lowest percentages were found in areas with eco-friendly mooring systems, while the highest occurred where there were no organized alternatives to free anchoring.

Five pilot sites, different responses to the same problem

In Panzano, in the Gulf of Trieste, the project has established a field of thirty eco-friendly moorings, which has become a permanent piece of public infrastructure following a maritime ordinance. In the Kornati National Park, eco-friendly moorings have been installed, accompanied by environmental and nautical monitoring. In the Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area, an assessment of carrying capacity guides access to beaches and helps protect the dunes. At the Pakleni Islands, mooring zones have been incorporated into the urban planning of Hvar, while in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, monitoring across twelve Natura 2000 sites is informing future management measures.
This experience has been consolidated into a “Solutions Toolbox”—an operational guide featuring twelve tools that cover everything from understanding a given problem to verifying potential solutions—as well as a cross-border strategy that outlines priorities and implementation pathways for each site.

From project-based collaboration to a stable network

On November 11, 2026, an institutional round table on the governance of coastal biodiversity preceded the signing of a memorandum of understanding that established the BIOPRESSADRIA network. The agreement aims to ensure the continued exchange of knowledge and the application of solutions already tested in other coastal settings. The goal is for these results to serve as an operational reference—extending beyond the five pilot sites—for public administrations, managers of protected areas, and other stakeholders.

BIOPRESSADRIA Project

BIOPRESSADRIA—a cross-border integrated strategy to reduce biodiversity loss caused by anthropogenic pressures along the Adriatic coast—is funded by the Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021–2027 programme with a budget of €2,369,480. Running from 1 March 2024 to 31 December 2026, the project involves eight partners—four from Italy and four from Croatia—under the leadership of the Municipality of Monfalcone. These partners include CORILA, SELC, the Management Consortium of the Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area, Sunce, the Kornati National Park, and the public institutions responsible for managing protected areas in the Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia counties.

Link : https://www.corila.it/en/portfolio/biopressadria-2024-2026/