-1.svg){kind=logo}
Just a few months after the launch of TETHYS4ADRION, project activities are already in full swing. This was the focus of the project partner discussions that came together in Čapljina from 13-14 May 2025, to review progress and design the next steps. The project aims to pilot a range of riverine litter-related actions, ranging from monitoring and assessment to prevention and mitigation, as well as restoration, in across five pilot sites: Alfeios (Greece), Buna-Bojana (Albania, Montenegro), Soča (Italy/Slovenia), Neretva (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Reno (Italy).
The event was hosted by the very welcoming City of Čapljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), a key project partner, highlighting the strong commitment of local authorities to tackling riverine litter and protecting freshwater ecosystems. Their active involvement underscores the crucial role of community leadership in addressing plastic pollution and promoting sustainable river management.
The project is making rapid progress through in-depth fieldwork, active stakeholder engagement, and comprehensive ecosystem assessments. With activities now underway across multiple river basins, it is generating valuable data and forging strong community partnerships—laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable solutions to plastic pollution in the region.
Currently, the project partners are working on the development of a harmonized riverine litter monitoring approach, which will be tested across the project’s five pilot rivers. This approach aims to generate fit-for-purpose data to support effective decision-making, including through participatory science campaigns. In parallel, an initial set of measures to address riverine litter is being formulated, while a GIS-based mapping of the wider river areas has been elaborated, showing the locations of litter sources, accumulation zones, and retention areas.
A key highlight of the partners’ meeting was the study tour to the regional landfill in Mostar, where attendees gained valuable insights into the specific challenges of waste management in the area—an essential step for developing tailored solutions. Additionally, partners visited the Neretva River and its tributaries within Hutovo Blato Nature Park. There, they experienced the remarkable diversity of habitats and species and this visit served as an inspiration, reinforcing the partners’ commitment to protecting this invaluable natural heritage.
Hutovo Blato Nature Park (Photos: Thomais Vlachogianni)
The project meeting was held back-to-back with an international conference on 15 May 2025, which brought together over 120 diverse participants to exchange views and perspectives on the threat of riverine litter and strategies for addressing it effectively. The conference featured distinguished speakers and panelists, including the Mayor of the City of Čapljina and the Ministers of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, and the Ministry of Tourism of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. This joint event fostered valuable dialogue among project partners, policymakers, and other stakeholders, reinforcing a shared commitment to reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable river management.
Read more about the project here
Read more about the conference here