The Mediterranean Coast Day, organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), is celebrated on 25 September in Mediterranean countries, by organizing various activities aimed at informing and raising awareness of the importance of the sea and the coastal area as natural and socio-economic resources whose sustainable development represents the most demanding challenge at the international level.
The central celebration of the Mediterranean Coast Day 2018 is held today in Split, and the event will be attended by numerous senior officials and representatives of all Mediterranean countries, including the representatives of the Montenegrin Public Enterprise “Morsko dobro”
To mark the activities of Mediterranean Coast Day in Montenegro, “Morsko dobro”, in cooperation with the Institute of Marine Biology from Kotor, prepared an educational and propaganda poster on "Adriatic Sharks". As in previous years, the main purpose of this poster is to bring children of the school-age closer to topics that are important for the preservation of the coast and the sea, their biodiversity, landscapes, and natural and cultural heritage. The poster will be distributed to primary and secondary schools throughout Montenegro.
The central celebration of the Mediterranean Coast Day in Split is organized by the Center for Regional Activities of the Priority Action Program (PAP/RAC). Through a holistic, integral approach, PAP/RAC seeks to promote better, more sustainable ways of using coastal resources that we often abuse by inappropriate behavior. It is extremely important to preserve the natural beauties, diverse landscapes and the identity of the local population of the Mediterranean region, and preserve tradition and heritage in order to make the future of these areas as good and nice as possible. The UNEP Regional Action Program for Priority Action Programs (PAP/RAC) of the Mediterranean Action Plan in Split is one of the six regional centers of the UN's Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP).
Over the past 40 years, PAP/RAC has been the key coordinating body for the protection of the Mediterranean coast. Nine Mediterranean countries and the EU have already ratified the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol, which establishes, inter alia, a 100-meter security zone to stop the degradation of the Mediterranean coastal area, of which 40% is already covered by the structures built by human hands.
This Seventh Order of the Barcelona Convention on the Protection of the Environment in the Mediterranean Region came into force in 2011 and became a legally binding instrument that obliged the countries to manage and use coastal areas. The signatory of the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management is Montenegro as well.
On the occasion of the Mediterranean Coast Day, a large number of experts, representatives of the United Nations and Mediterranean countries, the scientific community, associations and other civil society components will gather in Split today. They will discuss the successes and disadvantages of managing the Mediterranean coastal area, as well as new environmental and development challenges that require more ambitious and urgent action.
The celebration is organized by PAP/RAC and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy of the Republic of Croatia.
