PASSAGE partners gathered in Vlora in Albania from 6 to 8 november 2018 for the first seminar of the second phase of the project . The objective of the seminar was to share among partners the progress of the 6 actions plans towards low-carbon development that were conceived on each strait area.
At the invitation of the albanian partner of Vlora Regional Council, all partners attended a new project seminar beyond the borders of the European Union. This event was an opportunity to exchange on the 6 ongoing actions plans which were approved at the end of the first phase of the project. Solutions to the issues that every strait meet during the implementation phase of each action plan were proposed and discussed among partners.
After a welcoming speech by the albanian vice-minister in charge of environment, all partners worked on different topics in order to improve the efficiency of the implementation of every action plan:
- Involvement of local stakeholders
- Links with cross-border cooperation issues
- Monitoring and budget
This event was also an opportunity to study further in details good pratices from the ground such as the Llogara National Park and the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Protected Area. The management of this marine area, which is the only marine protected area is the country, was already identified as one of the project good practice.
This Marine Protected Area is the home of an aquatic plant called Posidonia Meadows which has the capacity to store carbon and is of great value for the low-carbon strategy of the area. The economic value of the Posidonia Meadows habitats have been estimated to be 11.64 millions euros worth. This project demonstrate that the sustainable management of marine habitats ensures carbon sequestration and is a solution towards a low-carbon management of strait areas.
