Project background
The community of Lastovo Island, Croatia
Similar to other remote Mediterranean islands, Croatia’s island of Lastovo faces significant socioeconomic and environmental challenges as a result of its isolation, including waste management, overfishing, rural exodus, and tourism-induced ecosystem degradation.
The existence of numerous endemic species and Lastovo’s rich cultural and historical legacy serve as examples of the island’s distinctive character. The archipelago was designated a nature park in 2006 because of its remarkable landscapes and unique biodiversity.
Our on-site diagnosis brought to light a significant social problem: a general unfavorable opinion of the marine park has been exacerbated by a lack of communication and the park’s reliance on political shifts. Some fishers, who thought of the park as merely a restricted area, particularly shared this opinion.
