The Kick-off and the1st Steering Committee Meeting of the Project SUSWATER – “A Common Cross- Border Strategy for the Prevention of Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers”, co-funded by the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme 2014-2020 with a budget of 876.389,80 euro, took place on the 7th of July 2020, via teleconference, due to the Covid-19 situation.
The Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia is the Lead Beneficiary of this project, in cooperation with three Italian partners – Apulian Water Authority, Universus CSEI Consortium of Universities for Training and Innovation, Union of Italian Provinces Puglia and one Greek Partner – the Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece & Ionian Islands. The partnership is completed with the Hellenic General Secretariat for Environment and Water, in the role of the Observer Partner.
The SUSWATER Project, financed under Priority Axis 2 (Integrated Environmental Management), is focused on preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency. The Project aims at the protection and enhancement of biodiversity, nature preservation and green infrastructure at the areas of Brindisi in Italy and Preveza and Corfu in Greece. Italy and Greece are two neighboring countries, that are characterized by an extensive coastal front and similar physiographic characteristics, while they are both broadly known for their rich ecosystems, which strongly depend on the overall quality conditions of the interacting groundwater resources.
Thanks to this Project, the SUSWATER model will be established arousing improvement of joint management and governance plans for biodiversity of coastal and rural ecosystems, paying attention on natural resources and protected areas and development of environmental protection measures. This Model will integrate environmental monitoring, assessment and, decision making through specific steps and interacting procedures. It will be applied, tested and optimized in the selected pilot sites mentioned above, providing a holistic approach on the integrated environmental management. This new and innovative method will be a growth driver for both Italy and Greece.