The case study covers the Italian Northern Adriatic, from Friuli Venezia Giulia to Veneto and Emilia Romagna, including marine areas between the Italian coastline and the continental shelf boundary set with Slovenia and Croatia. It extends to land, incorporating major river watersheds like the Po, Adige, and Isonzo, whose freshwater inflow and nutrients shape the region’s high productivity and oceanographic characteristics (Cozzi & Giani, 2011).
The area supports multiple maritime activities, such as fishing, aquaculture, tourism, maritime transport, offshore gas extraction, offshore sand extraction, coastal defence, military training operations, etc. Intense fishing pressure due to bottom trawling and hydraulic dredging for shellfish has largely impacted marine benthic habitats (Pranovi et al., 2000), although some improvements have been recently provided by the implementation of the CFP and the GSA 17 management plans. The activity still plays an important socio-economic role for coastal communities and includes both large and small-scale fisheries.
The Northern Adriatic is a key region for shellfish farming in Italy, with the highest density of long-line mussel farms, supported by favourable trophic conditions from major rivers. Approximately 60,000 tons of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) are produced annually in this area (Veneto Agricoltura, 2022), along with significant clam farming (Ruditapes philippinarum) in coastal wetlands and extensive fish farming in the Venice lagoon
Tourism is another major sector, with the northern Adriatic being one of Italy’s main summer destinations. The region offers a wide range of coastal and maritime tourism types, including seaside tourism, cruising, yachting, recreational boating, sports tourism, and to a lesser degree eco-tourism, recreational fishing and pesca-tourism, alongside cultural and historical visits.
Lastly, the maritime economy of the area has historically been tied to maritime transport, including commercial, passenger, and cruise sectors. As a maritime hub in the Mediterranean, the Northern Adriatic plays a crucial role in both intercontinental and intra-Mediterranean transport. At the same Northern Adriatic hosts important biodiversity hotspots (such as coastal wetlands and rocky outcrops habitats) and megafauna species (Tursiops and Caretta caretta in particular). As a climate change hot spot, the region faces coastal risks like flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion, underscoring the importance of integrated land-sea management.
The Italian portion of the Northern Adriatic Sea is a crowded area where the marine space is characterised by several different uses. Policy and planning integration is essential to ensure the proper and coherent management of such a complex system.
Therefore, the study examines:
(i) the synergies and conflicts in implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Water Framework Directive (WFD), and Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) in the region, considering governance and coordination mechanisms at different levels;
(ii) whether the integrated implementation of these directives contributes coherently to EU Green Deal goals related to biodiversity conservation;
(iii) whether the directives include objectives and measures aimed at supporting the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture sectorial activities, given the socioeconomic importance of these sectors for local communities of the region;
(iv) whether sectoral policies for aquaculture and fisheries adequately address sustainability, aligning with the requirements set by the MSFD, WFD, and MSPD to deliver healthy marine ecosystems;
(v) if and how fisheries and aquaculture policies contribute to biodiversity conservation;
(vi) what is the role and functioning of Science-Policy-Society Interfaces (SPSIs) in supporting a) the coherent implementation of MSFD, WFD, MSPD and how well these contribute to the realisation of the key biodiversity-related GD objectives; b) the internalisation of biodiversity EGD goals into sectoral policies of fisheries and
aquaculture.
This case study has been conducted using document analysis and stakeholder engagement through
eight semi-structured interviews and two questionnaires.
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