The project of creating the “Coastal Area Management Program for Bosnia and Herzegovina – CAMP BH” started in 2020 and in cooperation with the PAP/RAC office from Split and the competent institutions of BiH, after two years, was successfully brought to an end, in accordance with the planned activities. The implementation of the project started on September 1, 2020 and ends in September 2022, while the implementation of post-project activities is planned for the period from 2022 to 2024. The main goal of the MAP Coastal Area Management Program (Mediterranean Action Plan) is to provide assistance to Mediterranean countries in solving urgent environmental problems, and to introduce integral coastal area management (IUOP) as a fundamental instrument for achieving sustainable development in selected locations in their coastal areas.
The implementation of the “CAMP BiH” project achieved great results, both in terms of the preparation of the Program for the Management of the Coastal Area of the Adriatic Sea in BiH, and in terms of defining project proposals related to the sustainable development of tourism in Neum and the Neum hinterland, as well as in the preparation and assessment of climate risks and the proposal of project activities that contain a series of recommendations and measures that should be taken to prevent possible climate changes, which are expected in the future in the Neum municipality. Then, the topic of marine habitats was addressed and researched, and the possibilities and needs of establishing protected areas were examined, and certain monitoring mechanisms, i.e. monitoring of the marine and coastal environment, are within the project and under the auspices of MEDPOL already established, while in cooperation with REMPEC, also within the framework of the CAMP project, prevention and intervention plans were prepared in case of sea pollution from oil and petroleum spills from ships. The final document, i.e. the “Coastal Plan” contains all the above-mentioned activities and many more measures and project proposals aimed at preserving the marine and coastal environment and the sustainable development of our municipality of Neum.
The final conference of the “BiH Coastal Area Management Program” project and the celebration of the “Mediterranean Coast Day 2022” were held on September 13, 2022. (Tuesday) in the Grand Hotel “Neum” in Neum in the presence of project participants and numerous guests.
In the introductory part of the program, Josip Njavro, the national coordinator of the project, greeted the attendees and expressed a warm welcome, and the words of greeting and support for the project were then sent by:
- Tatjana Hema, UNEP/MAP coordinator based in Athens
- Željka Škaričić, director of the PAP/RAC office in Split
- Tarik Kupusović, Focal point for the Barcelona Convention for Bosnia and Herzegovina and
- Dragan Jurković, mayor of Neum municipality.
After the opening greetings, the national coordinator introduced and presented the Final report for the “BiH Coastal Area Management Program” project to those present, after which the distinguished guests: Tatjana Hema (UNEP/MAP), Marko Prem (PAP/RAC), Arthur Pasquale (INFO/ RAC), Darko Domović (REMPEC), Sabina Salihbegović (FMOIT) and Andrej A Gajić (SPA/RAC) shared their thoughts and experiences with the attendees through a panel discussion when it comes to coastal area management programs in the Mediterranean, including in relation to the Program which refers to Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. the municipality of Neum.
The second part of the program marked the Mediterranean Coast Day (www.coastday.org), which was started in 2007 by the UN Mediterranean Center for Coasts Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Center (PAP/RAC) in order to raise awareness of the value of coastal areas and the need to improve the planning and management system of these valuable areas, all in order to achieve sustainable development. At the beginning of the program, Mr. Andrej A. Gajić, famous ichthyologist researcher, was proclaimed as ‘’honorary ambassador’’ and Mrs. Željka Škaričić presented him with a commemorative plaque. In the continuation of the program, the children of Neum Kindergarten, Cardinal Stepinac Neum Elementary School, Neum High School, and members of the dance group Paganini – Neum majorettes and members of HKUD “LINDŽO” Neum performed an entertaining – educational – cultural program to the delight of all guests, as well as parents that were present.
As part of this program, children from Neum Kindergarten, Cardinal Stepinac Neum Elementary School, Neum High School, and members of the dance group Paganini – Neum majorettes and members of HKUD “LINDŽO” Neum performed an entertaining – educational – cultural program to the delight of all guests, as well as parents that were present.
As part of the celebration of the “Mediterranean Coast Day 2022”, Neum municipality provided children with panoramic rides on the boat “Ivana” around the bay, and a school in nature, where Ante Džono, a member of HRK Neum, presented the equipment and work of the diving club to the children, for which we thank them all very much. These two events are of exceptional importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. Herzegovina-Neretva county and the municipality of Neum, as the only coastal municipality in BiH, because we had the opportunity through the CAMP project and the celebration of the Mediterranean Coast Day to raise awareness and send a message to everyone about the need to preserve our marine and coastal environment, and we hope that our sea and coast will bring us together again in the future.
