As part of WP4 – Cultural Ecosystem Services of Key Marine Species and Marine/Coastal Ecosystems, project partners are carrying out a series of focus groups with stakeholders in Italy and Slovenia, to better understand how different groups perceive, experience, and relate to the marine and coastal environment and to the species inhabiting the Northern Adriatic Sea.
In the past weeks, three focus groups were successfully conducted in Italy, engaging a variety of stakeholders. These events were coordinated and carried out by the University of Padova in collaboration with Shoreline Coop., and using a shared approach developed for this project in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana.
March 6th, 2025: Environmental NGOs and Animal Welfare Groups (Trieste, Italy)
The first Italian session took place at the Urban Center of Trieste and brought together representatives from environmentalist and animal rights organizations active in the region.
Participants shared their views on marine protection, concerns about threats to biodiversity, and how decision-making processes could be made more inclusive and transparent.
April 3rd, 2025: Fishermen (Caorle, Italy)
The second focus group was held at the Caorle fish market and involved fishermen operating in the Veneto marine area. The conversation offered a deeper dive into the day-to-day realities of fishing, the challenges posed by policies, regulations and wildlife, and the expectations fishers have regarding support and access to resources.
April 8th, 2025: Protected Area Managers and Nature Protection Authorities (Online)
The third session was organized online, via Zoom, with managers of marine and coastal protected areas, as well as public authorities engaged in environmental governance in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. Through the interview, we explored how these actors perceive their role in balancing ecological objectives and public interests, while operating in elaborate regulatory frameworks.
The information collected from these group interviews will be used and presented in decision-making processes to make sure that these stakeholder voices are heard and respected. All sessions are essential steps towards a more inclusive understanding of how to support sustainable and fairer marine policies in the northern Adriatic.
In the upcoming weeks, a fourth and final focus group will be carried out in both project countries. In Italy, the fourth and last focus group will involve recreational users of the marine environment.
