(^84) Coastal Zone and Sea-Level Rise Human Development Report - Croatia 2008
tivities and the value of the buildings and structures in
these areas. This type of activity is perhaps best imple-
mented through co-operation with other European/
EU agencies and institutions engaged in collecting
detailed physical and economic land-use data – such
as the DINAS COAST project.^14 The next priority would
be to develop the capability to use these databases
to estimate the physical and economic damages from
various sea-level rise and protection scenarios. This
would include the costs associated with alternative
protection and retreat strategies. Again, this capabil-
ity is perhaps easiest to develop in partnership with
other European institutions. It would be worthwhile
for Croatia to expand this capability, to assess the
damages of sea-level rise and the benefits and costs
of avoiding these damages, for particularly vulnerable
areas on the coast.
Local-level decision-makers in coastal communities
must be on the frontlines of adaptation. To do this will
involve not only increasing their awareness about the
impacts, but also their capability of integrating plan-
ning for sea-level rise into their “business as usual”
planning decisions. The public sector is involved in
many activities that can avoid the damages from sea-
level rise. These activities include land-use planning,
port and coastal infrastructure development and lo-
cation, and a wide variety of other activities related
to regulation and taxation. Public sector involvement
could be just as important for decisions about build-
ing dikes and sea-walls to prevent urban flooding, as
it would be for developing the right zoning measures
and fiscal incentives for reducing the costs of gradually
moving entire communities away from the coastline.
5.4.1. Information availability for decision-
makers to assess vulnerability and adapt to
sea-level rise
In order for adaptation policies and adaptation proj-
ects to move forward, a great deal more information
is needed. More information and steady tracking of
actual versus projected sea-level rise will be neces-
sary. There are a few institutions in Croatia that are
monitoring sea-level. One is the Hydrographic In-
stitute from Split, which has a joint project with the
Ministry of Science and Technology entitled “Adriatic
tides and sea-level on-line.”VII One of its main activities
is to supply any potential user with information about
sea-level from the gauge station in Split. In 1997, the
inter-institutional project “Systematic exploration of
the Adriatic Sea as a base for the sustainable develop-
ment of the Republic of Croatia – Project Adriatic” be-
gan.VIII The project continuously monitors the marine
environment and sea-level, and covers practically the
entire Croatian Adriatic. Cooperation among the in-
stitutions involved with this project and other institu-
tions (e.g. the DHMZ, Andrija Mohorovičić Geophysical
Institute, etc.) should be feasible. These organisations
can work on continuous sea-level and related marine
monitoring and then combine data resources.
Such central data collection should be placed within
an institutional body responsible for Integrated Coast-
al Zone Management (ICZM) and Integrated Maritime
Spatial Planning (IMSP) (see Box 5-2). Unfortunately,
no such body currently exists and there is no clear
legislation on this subject – particularly about ICZM.
There have been suggestions that this data collection
could become the responsibility of the Section for the
Protection of Sea and Soil in the MEPPPC, located in
Rijeka, but no action has yet been taken.^15 Another
possibility is the Administration for the Islands, within
the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
The most suitable candidate would however be the al-
ready-designated body within the Ministry of Environ-
mental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction
- the Department for ICZM. While this Department
was reportedly, formally introduced a few years ago,
it never became operational. In February 2008, Croa-
tia and 13 other Mediterranean countries signed the
VII See http://www.hhi.hr/mijene/mijene_hr/projekt.htm for more
information.
VIII The project includes the Centre for Marine Research Institute
Ruđer Bošković Rovinj, Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries
from Split, Hydrographic institute from Split and Faculty of Science
from ZagrebLocal-level
decision-makers
in coastal
communities
must be on the
frontlines of
adaptation