Environmental effects of tourism and its seasonality on Mediterranean islands: the contribution of the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project to build up an approach towards sustainable tourism

Abstract

The Mediterranean basin is amongst the world’s main tourist destination, and its islands are a major attraction, being sites of historical, cultural and naturalistic importance. This is beneficial for the local economies, but it may also represent a great burden on the coastal environment, where other human pressures are concentrated. The awareness of detrimental side effects of tourism together with the importance to take into account social and economic facets has led to the concept of sustainable tourism, which, however, represents a goal far from being attained. A good opportunity to promote sustainable tourism was provided by the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project, whose main aim was to identify, address and mitigate the effects of the seasonal variation of waste generated by tourism on Mediterranean islands. Here, we present the methodological framework of the project aimed at biomonitoring coastal seawater in highly touristic sites using macroalgae as valuable bioindicators of seawater quality and improving its status through the implementation and assessment of mitigation measures that included also the involvement of stakeholders. Outcomes of the project highlighted the effectiveness of such an integrated approach, confirming the importance of choosing proper indicators and tools that can support the development of management plans aiming to mitigate environmental impact and foster sustainable tourism.

Encouraging sustainable tourism development in Mediterranean through ConsumeLess Plus project: the case study of Istria county

“…Furthermore, the tourism industry in this area has a significant impact on the environment and the lives of the local population (Papageorgiou, 2016). In this sense, the future development of tourism and the growing tourist demand in the Mediterranean must be based on sustainable principles to preserve the natural heritage, communities and ecosystems (Andolina et al, 2021). The EU project ConsumeLess Plus provides an opportunity for destinations and tourist facilities to become part of a sustainable community in the Mediterranean that promotes sustainable development of tourism destinations.…”

Stakeholder Management and the Imbalance of Power: A Central Mediterranean Perspective on Tourism in Marine Protected Areas

“…The Mediterranean region has huge marine ecotourism potential due to its rich marine ecosystems (Fotiou et al 2002;Agius et al 2018;Andolina et al 2020). Although the Mediterranean Sea only represents 0.82% of the World's ocean area and 0.3% of its volume, the richness of its species corresponds to 4-18% of all marine species, depending on the phylum taken into consideration (Lejeusne et al 2010).…”

“…Islands are synonymous with tourism and are among the most visited tourist destinations in the world (Fotiou et al 2002). The Mediterranean region, which is by far the world's most visited tourist destination, boasts hundreds of islands which tourists visit in their droves (Andolina et al 2020). Most tourism in Mediterranean islands is for sun, sea, and sand (3S) holidays which take place in the peak summer months thus leading to seasonality (Cannas and Giudici 2015;Tovar-Sánchez et al 2019;Alipour et al 2020).…”

Signature of the anthropogenic impacts on the epipelagic microbiome of the North-Western Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

“…In our work, three different impact sources have been considered in the North-Western Adriatic Sea, namely, i) mussel farming, where the North-Western Adriatic Sea accounts for 50% of the Italian mussel production (Prioli, 2006); ii) methane extraction platforms, with 82 platforms installed since 1960 in the Adriatic Sea (Colaleo et al, 2022), 50 of which occupy the area between Rimini and Ravenna (http:// ytaa.miesbcn.com/work/220, 2016 Edition, Ghiselli, and Melandri); iii) summer mass tourism, where the Emilia-Romagna coast represents one of the most important touristic hotspots of the Mediterranean Sea, where the summer tourism peak has been associated with serious threats to the coastal ecosystems (Andolina et al, 2021). Seawater samples were collected in an area of approximately 585 km 2 in the North-Western Adriatic Sea during the summer of 2021 (September), including a mussel farm located offshore Cesenatico, a methane extraction plant ("Azalea") located offshore Rimini, and a coastal site in Riccione, one of the main Italian sites for mass summer tourism in the North-Western Adriatic Sea since 1960 (Istat Annual report on the tourist movement and hotel and complementary consistency in Emilia romagna 2020).…”