" Our beaches are an environmental and economic asset that requires balanced choices . The Plan was created to offer municipalities and all parties involved clear, uniform, and up-to-date criteria capable of protecting coastal ecosystems without neglecting the needs of communities and the use of the coastline."
Thus, in a press release, the regional councilor for the Environment Rosanna Laconi , who announces the approval by the Regional Council, at her proposal, of the operational guidelines for the preparation of the first regional management plan for Posidonia oceanica , implementing regional law no. 1 of 2020 and starting a comprehensive path for the protection and sustainable management of Sardinia's beaches.
The "directions" arrive with the tourist season well underway and, as many economic operators complain, " compromised by tons of algae, precious for the environment but disastrous for our budgets and the local economy." If bureaucratic time allows, municipalities should avoid a do-it-yourself approach (everyone can decide as they see fit) starting next year.
"For too long," adds Councilor Laconi, "the management of Posidonia oceanica has been approached almost exclusively as a seasonal emergency. With this measure, we're changing perspective: the Region is equipping itself with the tools to manage the phenomenon organically, basing decisions on scientific knowledge, monitoring, and planning. It's a change in method, even more than in tools."
The regional statement highlights how "Posidonia oceanica is not waste, but a fundamental natural element for the balance of marine and coastal ecosystems. The deposits that form along the shorelines play a vital role in protecting beaches from erosion, mitigating the effects of climate change, and maintaining biodiversity. For this reason, their management requires consistent scientific criteria, planning, and differentiated solutions based on the characteristics of individual coastlines."
The Plan will be accompanied by research, monitoring, testing, communication, and participation activities aimed at local communities and stakeholders, with the aim of building a shared management model based on the best available technical and scientific knowledge. For its implementation, the Region has allocated €4 million in resources for the three-year period 2026-2028, already included in the regional budget.
With the approval of the operational guidelines, "the Region is launching a shared, science-based approach to managing Posidonia oceanica, confirming its commitment to combining environmental protection, tourism development, and coastal resilience within the framework of regional climate change adaptation policies." And it is the concept of tourism development that economic operators are focusing on, in a period of extreme difficulty for many, such as at Poetto in Cagliari.
(Unioneonline)
