-An interview highlights how MedRESOURCE’s pilot in Arborea showcases the role of local governance in building territorial resilience through integrated planning and collaboration.
The MedRESOURCE project co-financed by Interreg NEXT MED Programme aims to promote sustainable and circular solutions for wastewater sludge management in the Mediterranean region, strengthening integrated water resources management through research, communication, participatory processes and capacity building actions. In this interview, Manuela Pintus, Mayor of Arborea, reflects on the main environmental and planning challenges affecting the municipality, the role of local governance in addressing climate-related pressures, and the contribution of European cooperation to reinforcing the technical and institutional capacity needed for long-term territorial resilience.
Mayor Pintus, what are the main environmental vulnerabilities currently affecting the territory of Arborea?
Arborea is located within the Gulf of Oristano, an area recognised as particularly exposed to coastal erosion processes. Scientific analyses and environmental monitoring activities point to a significant vulnerability of the coastline, which is being intensified by the growing frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
In some stretches, signs of shoreline retreat are already visible. Although fully consolidated temporal scenarios are not yet available, it is clear that coastal erosion and sea level rise represent concrete risks in the medium and long term.
For Arborea, this vulnerability is not only environmental, but also economic and social. Agriculture, livestock farming and tourism form the core of our development model, and the stability of the coastal system is closely linked to its long-term sustainability.
How does the municipality integrate these risks into its territorial planning tools?
Planning is the main instrument through which a local authority can transform risk analysis into concrete action. We are currently working on the updating of the Beach Use Plan (PUL), which regulates the use of the coastal strip and progressively incorporates climate-risk considerations.
At the same time, the Civil Protection Plan is being strengthened, so that it can reflect increasingly articulated and updated risk scenarios.
We have also started the process leading to the preparation of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (PAESC), which represents a strategic tool for integrating mitigation and adaptation within a systemic perspective. The PAESC makes it possible to structure local policies in line with European climate and energy objectives, thereby strengthening the municipality’s programming capacity.
Moreover, updating and implementing these instruments requires specialised technical expertise and administrative resources that, for a medium-small municipality, constitute a significant challenge.
Arborea is a pilot territory for MedRESOURCE. What is the value of this project for the municipality?
MedRESOURCE addresses territorial resilience from a complementary perspective, focusing on the sustainable management of wastewater sludge and on circular economy solutions applied to agricultural systems.
Arborea, which is classified as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, represents a particularly relevant context for testing integrated solutions capable of combining agricultural productivity with environmental protection.
The project contributes to strengthening dialogue between the local administration, the cooperative system, agricultural enterprises and scientific research, thereby promoting a more integrated approach to the management of resources and territory.
How strategic is the issue of capacity building for a local administration?
Capacity building is a central issue. Technical solutions, if not accompanied by stronger competencies and by the growth of collective awareness, risk remaining isolated.
Projects such as MedRESOURCE and TRATT’EAU ( co-financed by the Interreg Italia-Francia Marittimo 2021-2027 ) foster structured dialogue between institutions, economic operators and the local community, contributing to the development of a culture of prevention and adaptation.
For a municipality, this means increasing its ability to interpret phenomena, integrate scientific data into decision-making processes and plan coherent interventions over the long term.
How does multi-level governance affect Arborea’s ability to address climate-related challenges?
Multi-level governance is a decisive factor. The challenges linked to climate change and coastal vulnerability cannot be addressed exclusively at municipal level; they require structured coordination among the municipality, the Region, technical bodies, environmental authorities and European programmes.
The municipality plays a territorial stewardship role and is responsible for integrating local planning tools, such as the PUL, the PAESC and the Civil Protection Plan, but it also requires constant technical, scientific and financial support from higher institutional levels.
European cooperation, through projects such as MedRESOURCE and TRATT’EAU, reinforces this multi-level dimension. It is not only a matter of funding, but also of networks, knowledge exchange and institutional capacity-building.
For Arborea, strengthening governance means consolidating the ability to transform scientific data and project experimentation into concrete administrative tools and sustainable long-term decisions.
What is the main governance challenge for Arborea in the coming years?
The main challenge lies in integrating planning tools, scientific knowledge and the opportunities offered by European cooperation in a coherent way.
The complementarity between MedRESOURCE and TRATT’EAU shows that resilience must be addressed through integrated perspectives: sustainable management of agricultural resources and nutrients on the one hand, and coastal adaptation and climate risk prevention on the other.
Protecting the territory means protecting its development model. This requires a long-term strategic vision, stronger administrative capacity, and a stable and continuous form of multi-level cooperation.
Last Update
06/04/2026
Next Med