{"id":5235,"date":"2025-07-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.paprac.org\/news\/inspiring-impact-mediterranean-institutions-for-coastal-resilience\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T12:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:21:25","slug":"inspiring-impact-mediterranean-institutions-for-coastal-resilience","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/paprac.org\/hr\/novosti\/inspiring-impact-mediterranean-institutions-for-coastal-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring impact: Mediterranean institutions for coastal resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial by Daria Povh-\u0160kugor, PAP\/RAC Director<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2025 edition of Coast Day is all about the institutions inspiring impact around our shores. They protect the coastal and marine environment, make the plans, design the regulations, take the decisions, and spread the knowledge and tools. The goal is to build a better, more sustainable future for our coastal regions.<\/p>\n

As we gear up for the day itself on 25 September, we\u2019re putting the spotlight on the incredible work they do \u2013 from implementing hands-on projects that protect and restore coastal ecosystems, to driving innovative policy changes that benefit coastal communities. We\u2019ll be celebrating their successes and exploring practical ways everyone who cares about the coast can support and amplify their efforts.<\/p>\n

The issue of coastal resilience has never been more critical in our region<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The planet is facing the urgent and interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and the Mediterranean is a global hotspot for all three. Nowhere are they felt more acutely than in the coastal zone.<\/p>\n

Some stark projections from a recent report<\/a> by the UNEP\/MAP\u2019s Plan Bleu show how serious the situation is. Temperature rise in the Mediterranean is expected to exceed 2\u00b0C by 2040, showing a region warming far faster than the global average. What was predicted for the end of the century is now expected to occur here by 2050. It will bring a radically changed marine environment along with more frequent droughts, floods and heatwaves. A sea level rise of 40cm will make coastal protection in many areas hugely challenging.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the region\u2019s coastal population \u2013 already 150 million people \u2013 will continue to rise, growing another 20-30% by the middle of the century. Along with 400 million tourists who visit the Mediterranean (source: WTO) each year, this will put enormous pressure on finite and fragile natural resources. The way in which we approach the management of these resources will define our future societies. The need for coastal resilience is not just environmental, it\u2019s social, economic and deeply human too. It\u2019s everybody\u2019s business.<\/p>\n

The crucial role of institutions in making things happen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our governments are aware of this and, by ratifying the Barcelona Convention, have made a legal commitment to work together for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean coast \u2013 and they\u2019ve put in place specialist institutions whose role is to help make this happen. UN Sustainable Development Goal 16<\/a> calls for \u2018effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels\u2019. Coast Day 2025 promotes this idea, bringing institutional strength to bear on the central regional issue of sustainable coastal development.<\/p>\n

PAP\/RAC \u2013 the UNEP\/MAP regional centre for coastal management \u2013 is at the heart of these efforts, promoting the use of powerful approaches like integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and maritime spatial planning (MSP). These methodologies bring land and sea, science and policy, nature and people together into one big picture to deal with as a whole.<\/p>\n

The goal is to build firm, fair foundations for a more resilient future for our coasts. And here \u2013 from local and national authorities in charge of environmental protection to development agencies, from scientific bodies to non-governmental organizations \u2013 it\u2019s our institutions that are plotting the course and leading the way.<\/p>\n

Institutions are made of people, and they exist to serve people<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Crucially though, institutions are not abstract. They\u2019re made of people, and they exist to serve people. We all have a role to play in supporting them, and in holding them to account too. Coastal resilience is stronger when communities and institutions work hand in hand in mutual trust and cooperation. Ordinary citizens, scientists, businesses, educators and young people must all be part of the equation.
\n<\/s>Coast Day 2025 will put the spotlight on the impact inspired by specialised institutions.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be exploring how small groups make a huge difference to millions. We\u2019ll also be looking at how everyone else can get involved too, supporting the people and the processes that are shaping our shared coastal futures. We\u2019ll be convening conversations, swapping stories, celebrating successes, assessing past achievements and scoping out future challenges.<\/p>\n

If you care about our coast \u2013 today, tomorrow and far into the future \u2013 then we invite you to be a part of Coast Day 2025.<\/p>\n