08.10.2021.
The focus of the 2nd Croatian Scuba Diving Conference in Rijeka was on the necessity to protect the nature and environment, the undersea clean-up drive, the global problem of pollution of the seabed, and raising the awareness of the importance of preserving the nature and environment.Vlatka Gulan Zetić, the head of the Department for nature protection at the Fund, presented the Public Call for proposals aimed at civil society organisations and associations that are working in one of the following areas: ecology, environmental and nature protection, protection of the sea and marine habitat, climate change, sustainable development, and speleology. “Associations have an important role in shaping the views and behaviour of the people and putting focus on certain topics that are not always in the public eye. Correspondingly, the Fund is supporting many projects in these areas that associations are implementing. This year we have earmarked significant funding in the amount of HRK 2.2 million, and associations can get up to 80,000 kunas per project,” explained Gulan Zetić.
To repeat once again, an association can apply to the call for proposals independently or in partnership, and the proposal is submitted by the leading association implementing the project. Under this call, any leading association as implementing party can apply and conclude a contract for the maximum of two projects, and the deadline for submitting the proposal is 30 November 2021.
Experts in different fields gathered at the conference to exchange their experiences and promote scuba diving. An important topic of the conference was ecology and protection of the undersea as a precondition for developing this branch of tourism. Apart from numerous lectures on preserving the environment and nature protection, the divers will demonstrate how to take care of the undersea by conducting one of the largest ecological clean-up actions at six locations along Kvarner, as part of the 2021 Eco Patrol – Kvarner, announced for Sunday 10 October, with more than 200 participants.
The topics discussed at the conference focused on the necessity to protect the nature and environment and certain areas, the operation and functioning of diving centres and clubs in cooperation with the state institutions, including the new legislation and specificities in doing business considering the corona crisis, as well as the health aspect of diving.
