Project title: HERMES “A HarmonizEd fRamework to Mitigate coastal EroSion promoting ICZM protocol implementation”
Duration: July 2017 – July 2019
Overview and objectives: IEP is one of the seven partners in the regional partenrship of CSOs from Albania (Institute for Environmental Policy), Greece: (lead partner Municipality of Paggaio and partner Democritus University of Thrace – Department of Environmental Engineering – Special Account for Research Funds), Cyprus (ORION-Joint Research and Development Centre & Union of Cyprus Municipalities), Bulgaria (Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities), Albania (TEULEDA, Local Economic Development Agency), in the HERMES project.
HERMES is a network joint action aiming to upgrade the capacity related to coastal erosion mitigation and climate change resilience of local/regional/national authorities involved in the coastal zone management in the participating countries. HERMES’s specific objectives are: a) to formulate a developing knowledge-based network on shared coastal tools (monitoring, modeling and data management), b) to upgrade the current level of research and innovation in the field of coastal sustainable development, protection and adaptation, c) to enhance responses to challenges driven by climate change, and d) to sustainably use strategic coastal resources to achieve Blue Coastal Growth. Moreover, HERMES fosters transnational transfer of knowledge and experiences gained through previously implemented projects, building a joint coastal erosion framework, adapted to the specific conditions of each study site. HERMES addresses all cross-cutting challenges leading to imbalances between sustainable and socio-economic development along the coastal zones, emphasizing on innovative tools for erosion protection and climate change risks prevention. HERMES serves as a pilot action for the design and promotion of innovative technologies following the ecosystem-approach for the improvement of environmental protection along coastal zones. HERMES promotes ‘soft’ engineering techniques to combat coastal erosion, strengthen sustainable development and provide strong impulse to local economy and jobs creation. Considering the benefits, in the coastal economic development, in coastal environmental protection, in the wellness and sustainability of local communities and the attractiveness of focused coasts, it occurs that HERMES is a project updating the adaptation level of coastal communities, adopting environmental friendly management plans for coastal areas, ensuring continual intervention and management policy, thus in-line with the broad objective and specific priorities of the BMP.
Project manager for IEP as a partner: Mr. Edvin Pacara
Funding: Transnational Cooperation Programme “Balkan-Mediterranean 2014-2020”
Project publications:
Visual materials: