Sustainable management of sports practice towards the socio-ecological regeneration of maritime and coastal areas

ongoing

ReSea Sports picks up on the concept of regenerative tourism to develop a methodology that does not only eliminates the climate impact of sport activities, but also turns them into nurturing actions that contribute to the preservation and regeneration of the environment. This project focuses on water sports practices in coastal areas, aiming to protect and regenerate coastal and marine water areas. To implement this methodology, a 5-Helix Multistakeholder model of governance will be developed as well, ensuring cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination with all stakeholders: public authorities, sports clubs, sport tourism companies and operators, environmental associations, civil society organisations. The partnership comprises 6 organisations across 5 European countries (Spain, Croatia, France, Malta and Italy). Furthermore, 4 of these organisations (DANEU, CNVM, HAŠK and NPN) will act as Pilot Implementation Sites, testing the effectivity of the methodology developed by strategic partners (ENOS and AETHNIC), which will also ensure the sustainability and transferability of the project. The impact of this 3-year project will be evaluated at two levels, focusing on everyday sport, sport competitions and sport tourism. On the one hand, the project performance will be assessed on the short run, looking at the population reached (290,000), the actors involved (90) and the number of implemented Regenerative practices (20), reaching up to 2,000 athletes and sportspersons. Furthermore, the educational program concerning the multidimensional aspects of the environmental impact of sport and physical activities on water sources will be distributed among 400 sport leaders, trainers, guides or instructors. On the other hand, on the long run, the project’s success in terms of environmental and social impact will be evaluated according to: carbon footprint, waste management, water use, biodiversity, social impact and stakeholder engagement.