On Friday, October 25, 2024, in the organization of the leading partner of the project consortium, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy of the University of Split, the introductory meeting of the project team and the first meeting of the project steering committee (PSC) of the Interreg VI-A IPA Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina–Montenegro project ClimBeach – Improving Coastal Areas Resilience to Climate Change Impacts and setting up Guidelines for Sustainable Beach Stabilization and Management was held at the Hydrotechnical Laboratory in Žrnovnica. It is a project that, in the amount of 85 percent, is co-financed through the Cross-Border Cooperation Program INTERREG IPA Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro. The ClimBeach project is one of the projects implemented by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy of the University of Mostar, and its goal is to develop a multi-physical and multi-technological solution to the negative impacts of climate change on beach areas and increase the resistance of beaches to erosion and flooding.
The project will implement a specific monitoring system to monitor meteorological and climatic variables, as well as seawater dynamics and volumetric changes of beaches. It will also develop an IT tool called BeachCloud that will integrate monitoring data, erosion and flood risk assessment and the results of mitigation measures. A climate change adaptation strategy for beaches will be based on this data, including short-term and long-term measures. The project will enable better planning and sustainable management of beach areas in the regions involved.
At the beginning of the meeting, the attendees were welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy of the University of Split, Assoc. Prof. Neno Torić, Ph. D. In the first part of the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Veljko Srzić, Ph. D., project manager of the ClimBeach project, gave a presentation entitled "Coastal areas in the context of climate change: challenges for the future", after which Assoc. Prof. Toni Kekez, Ph. D., on behalf of the lead partner, presented the activities of the ClimBeach project and the expected outcomes and results. Finally, representatives of each of the project partners gave a presentation about their institutions and their role in the implementation of the ClimBeach project activities.
In addition to the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy of the University of Split, which is the lead partner, the project partnership consists of: the Regional Development Agency of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County – DUNEA, the Public Company for Maritime Management of Montenegro – JPMD, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy of the University of Mostar and the Municipality of Neum. The planned duration of the project is 36 months, while the total project budget is 1,785,195.60 Euros.
