Brijuni, 13 October 2023 – Today, the final conference “Croatia Under the Waves” of the project “Mapping of Coastal and Benthic Marine Habitats in the Coastal Sea of the Republic of Croatia and Benthic Marine Habitats in the Croatian Epicontinental Belt as part of the OPKK project Mapping of Coastal and Benthic Marine Habitats within the National Territory of the Adriatic Sea“ was held in Brijuni National Park.
This is one of the most important projects in the field of marine conservation, as it delivers a comprehensive map that covers a minimum of 51% of marine habitats within the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea and it enhances the accessibility of marine biodiversity data related to the distribution of species and habitats. This is vital for the responsible and sustainable use of marine resources, integral marine spatial planning, and the promotion of sustainable fisheries and tourism.
The project falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and is implemented by a consortium including OIKON Ltd., Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Croatian Geological Institute, Faculty of Geodesy of the University of Zagreb, and the Ruđer Bošković Institute. Subcontractors for the project are Hydrographic Institute of Croatia, ECOTECH d.o.o., SCIOM d.o.o., and DVOKUT – ECRO d.o.o.
This is also the largest project of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development so far, with a total budget of 11.9 million euros, mainly funded through the EU Cohesion Fund.
The project’s total duration is 25 months and is expected to be completed by the end of October this year.
OIKON Ltd. – Institute of Applied Ecology’s activities within the project included:
- mapping of coastal habitat types using remote sensing and in-situ field methods,
- mapping of marine habitats up to the 5th level of the national classification of marine habitats using direct in-situ mapping methods, including the use of drop-down cameras,
- mapping of benthic habitat types (up to the 5th level of the national classification of marine habitats) based on the extent of visibility using satellite imagery and aerial photogrammetry,
- integration of mapping data generated through remote sensing and acoustic mapping methods into a comprehensive map of marine habitats,
- cartographic generalization and the creation of a map of marine habitats, along with an accompanying spatial database,
- topological quality control of the produced map.
Further information about the project will be made available following its completion, expected in early November this year.
