Coexistence on the Mediterranean coastal territories: between protection and usability

The Mediterranean coast, seen as a multilayered porous boundary between land and sea, forms a fragile territory where different landscapes and ecosystems meet and interact: coastal areas of great ecological value neighbor with human settlements, archaeological sites, tourist facilities, agricultural fields, and production units. This coexistence is usually accompanied by conflicted relationships as the protection of an area collides with its usability. Both in marine and terrestrial contexts, intensive human appropriation of the territory becomes a threat to the local habitats. In parallel, climate change is accelerating the territorial transformations of this transitional area, further influencing its inhabitation patterns. Coasts are the areas most vulnerable to environmental impacts and most exposed to increasingly frequent and intense extreme events. While it seems opportune to reconcile environmental protection with the public interest, climate change relates to the need to protect natural areas of great ecological value or areas with cultural significance by introducing new urgent management forms. How do these new forms of coastal management reflect on the way we perceive the relationship between man and nature? What is changing in the definition and use of protected areas and their relation to their surroundings? Are the current conservation efforts corresponding to both the emerging societal and environmental needs? Starting with these questions, this paper focuses on the Mediterranean coastal territories by exploring the notion of coexistence in two case studies: the Gaiola Underwater Park (IT) and the Axios River Delta (GR). Comparing the two case studies mentioned above, the contribution sheds light on the Mediterranean coast as a context characterized by contrasts and conflicting interests. The case of the Marine Protected Area of Gaiola in Naples specifically explores the intricate coexistence between environmental conservation and the public's actual enjoyment of the coastal resources, thereby exploring the theme of conflicts. More precisely, that of Gaiola is a tangled and delicate story of a marine protected area, of a particular form of management, of the many actors involved, but mainly of a community that feels increasingly excluded. In the case of Axios River Delta, the area is protected under three different protection protocols (Ramsar 1975, Natura 2000 & National Park), and yet it is a highly productive area, with rice culture and mussel aquaculture being the dominant production and of national importance. How do conservation and coexistence relate in these cases and where is their balance? By discussing these two case studies, the contribution reflects on the socio-ecological transition along the Mediterranean coasts. As fragile hybrids, the coasts host the collective interests associated with the public's access to and utilization of the coastal resources along with the ecological importance of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.