Telašćica Nature Park Receives €2.5 Million
The €2.54 million project, with nearly €2 million in EU grants, introduces a revolutionary mooring system that doesn't destroy the seabed.
The €2.54 million project, with nearly €2 million in EU grants, introduces a revolutionary mooring system that doesn't destroy the seabed.
At its session on August 6, 2026, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted a decision to sign a grant agreement for the project of the Ecological Mooring System of Telašćica Nature Park. The total project value is €2,541,037.65, with the European Regional Development Fund providing €1,999,796.63, or 78.7 percent of the funds, under the Competitiveness and Cohesion 2021-2027 program.
The decision on fund allocation was made back in March 2026, and the Public Institution Telašćica Nature Park recently received notification from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition about the Croatian Government's decision. "The Nature Park is proud that funding for their massive project has been approved and thanks the entire team of the public institution for their efforts in its preparation," reports Zadarski list. The project was submitted on December 11, 2025, after a year of preparation.
Telašćica Bay is known as one of the most attractive natural harbors in the Adriatic, but the heavy pressure of nautical tourism and unregulated anchoring have for years left severe consequences on the seabed. Heavy anchors and chains mechanically destroy the seafloor, especially meadows of the marine flowering plant Posidonia and reefs, whose recovery takes decades.
"The project's goals are the preservation of marine habitats and endangered marine species. One of the greatest pressures on such habitats is vessel anchoring, especially in sensitive areas like Posidonia meadows, which play a key role in biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and coastal protection," the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition stated.
The project entails removing old concrete blocks from the seabed and installing an environmentally friendly mooring system at ten locations. The new systems are designed to minimally penetrate the seabed and not destroy habitats. "These systems are not based on concrete blocks but on a system of geotechnical anchors," explained representatives of Telašćica Nature Park to Zadarski list.
In addition to the new moorings, smart monitoring will be introduced to protect the marine environment from pollution. Sensors will be installed to detect illegal wastewater discharge from vessels, and satellite tracking of vessels will be conducted to optimize maritime traffic. The state of the sea, temperature, transparency, quality, and marine habitats will be regularly monitored.
Telašćica Nature Park will also launch a major communication campaign to educate sailors. Through a special "Eco Pledge," each sailor will commit to responsible behavior, and educational workshops for kindergarten and school-age children are being prepared. Additionally, the "historical picture" of heavy metal presence in sediment will be investigated to compare the state before and after intensive nautical pressure and to monitor the potential occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms.
After signing the grant agreement with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Central Agency for Financing and Contracting (SAFU), field works and initial procurements will commence.
