Socio-Economic Factors in the Event of an Oil Spill in the North Adriatic

Should an oil spill of tier III magnitude occur in the Northern Adriatic, there is a high probability that the oil will reach and pollute the surrounding coastline. Therefore, it is vital to conduct coastal vulnerability studies to develop priority plans and coastal vulnerability maps to help first responders protect the coastline. As there is no common contingency plan for oil spills in the Northern Adriatic, three countries, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, which share the area, decided to participate in the North Adriatic Incident Response System (NAMIRS) project. Part of the project was to conduct a coastal vulnerability study in the area. One of the three pillars for determining vulnerability, in addition to the ecological and geomorphological factors, is the socioeconomic aspect, which was studied as part of the research. As there are no clear scientific methods to determine the vulnerability of the socio-economic factors, a survey was conducted where the participants gave their subjective opinion on its value. This was done through three workshops organised in each participating country, where professional stakeholders familiar with the state of socio-economic activities assessed their vulnerability. The values obtained were combined with the assessments of the geomorphological and environmental factors and gathered in a coastal vulnerability layer, which was incorporated into a GIS as a standard coastal vulnerability map that will help first responders prioritise coastal protection. The research results will also be useful globally and not just in the area studied by NAMIRS, since the method used is readily applicable to any part of the world.