The event will take place in Otranto on July, 4th.
“A Sea Under Stress: Understanding Pressures and Building Responses for the Future of Communities”: A public event on Saturday, July 4th, at 6:30 PM in Otranto to discuss the future of the coast and marine ecosystems.
The EU-funded MedPROACT project on the Salento coast to understand how marine biodiversity and coastal management are changing in light of the climate crisis.
Legambiente, CIHEAM, and the University of Siena are working with coastal communities to explore solutions for adapting to the Mediterranean’s changing climate.
Otranto – Climate change, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, tourism pressure, pollution, transformation of marine habitats, the presence of invasive alien species, and growing competition between different uses of the sea and the coast: these are all stressors currently affecting the Mediterranean and its coastal communities.
Solutions for building models of resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable development do exist, however, and will be discussed on Saturday, July 4th, at 6:30 PM in Otranto, in the courtyard of the Aragonese Castle, during an event organized by CIHEAM Bari and Legambiente, the project’s lead partner, in collaboration with the Municipality of Otranto and the Costa Otranto – S. Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase Regional Natural Park.
The initiative is part of the international MedPROACT project (co-financed by the European Union’s “NEXT MED” program), launched last year and involving institutions, universities, and environmental organizations from Italy, Tunisia, Turkey, and Jordan. The project’s ultimate goal is to develop climate change adaptation strategies for and with coastal communities, engaging them in a participatory process in which they are the protagonists. Analyzing the combined impacts of climate change and other stressors, such as microplastics, chemical pollution, and the presence of invasive species (both alien and non-alien) on selected species, will provide a useful scientific basis for planning and adapting coastal management from many perspectives, not least the socioeconomic one.
“As the recent heatwave that hit the continent also demonstrates, Europe is warming at a very rapid rate,” says Daniela Salzedo, President of Legambiente Puglia. “This also has consequences for the Mediterranean, one of the main climate change hotspots: rising sea temperatures are modifying marine ecosystems, altering species distributions and accelerating biodiversity loss. At the same time, increasingly intense extreme events are putting pressure on coastal communities and strategic economic activities such as fishing and tourism. It is therefore urgent to strengthen adaptation policies, accelerate the ecological transition, and invest in the protection and restoration of landscapes.”
The experience of projects like MedPROACT is therefore even more significant for places like the coast between Otranto, Tricase, and Santa Maria di Leuca, where some of the pilot activities will take place, including working with local stakeholders. Resilience strategies will be developed based on the local needs and environmental conditions, encouraging these communities to adapt to new climate conditions.
To initiate this process of building a participatory approach that unites local institutions, management, and research organizations, and to present the project to the public, the event “A Sea Under Stress: Understanding Pressures and Building Responses for the Future of Communities” was organized on Saturday in Otranto.
This stretch of coast is a particularly significant example through which to understand, at a local scale, the dynamics and critical issues affecting the entire Mediterranean basin. “The focus of the event will be the future of coastal territories, and particular attention will be paid to integrated coastal management tools as concrete responses to environmental stresses, capable of combining biodiversity conservation, responsible fishing, sustainable tourism, environmental education, and new opportunities for coastal communities”, says Massimo Zuccaro, Head of the “Blue Communities” Unit at CIHEAM Bari, a project partner and co-organizer of the event.
The initiative will therefore provide an opportunity to discuss not only the pressures threatening the sea and the coast, but also possible solutions for building models of resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable development in the Mediterranean. Participants in the event include: Francesco Bruni, Mayor of Otranto; Biagio Di Terlizzi, Director of CIHEAM Bari; Daniela Salzedo, President of Legambiente Puglia; Giuseppe Rubino, Puglia Region, National Contact Point for the NEXT MED Program (co-financier of the project); Stefano Minerva, Regional Councilor of the Puglia Region. Speakers will include: Maria Cristina Fossi, Professor of Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Siena; Antonio Nicoletti, National Head of Protected Areas at Legambiente; Massimo Zuccaro, Head of the “Blue Communities” Unit – CIHEAM Bari; Michele Tenore, President of the Otranto Coast – Santa Maria di Leuca and Tricase Forest Regional Natural Park; Francesco De Franco, Director of the Ugento Coast Regional Natural Park; Luigi Ricci, ISPRA – Director of the Department for Environmental Monitoring and Protection and Biodiversity Conservation. The event will close with Claudio Barbaro, Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. Journalist Lorenzo Zito will moderate the event. At the end of the initiative, the Legambiente “Cinque Vele” award will be presented to the Municipality of Otranto.
MedPROACT’s activities in Italy will involve the aforementioned Otranto-Tricase-Santa Maria di Leuca coast in Puglia, the Secche della Meloria marine protected area in Tuscany, and the Pelagie Islands, the Egadi Islands, and Capo Milazzo in Sicily. In addition to the creation of a community-led initiative (planned in Puglia and Sicily, on the Egadi Islands and Capo Milazzo) to develop guidelines and strategies for adapting to climate change, other project activities include the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows, which mitigate the strength of currents and act as a “trap” for CO2, and the creation of an early warning system to assess the impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity. Activities dedicated to adapting the fishing sector are also central, to explore the ecological and economic potential for the sustainable exploitation of invasive fish species.
MedPROACT is a project co-financed by the European Union at 89% (€2,499,993.86) through the Interreg NEXT MED program.
The contents of this press release are the sole responsibility of Legambiente and, under no circumstances, should they be considered to reflect the position of the European Union or the organizational structures of the program.
Press Office
Elisa Leo
+39 3474066702
Last Update
03/07/2026
Next Med