Sardinia approves an innovative plan to strengthen sustainable aquaculture

Cagliari, Italy, 29 August 2025 | One of the most tangible benefits will be the reduction in authorization times from 24 months to just 6 months

Cerdeña, Italia

The Regional Government of Sardinia has given preliminary approval to the Plan for Aquaculture Allocation Zones (AZA), a milestone designed to foster sustainable growth in the sector, streamline administrative procedures and attract new investment. The initiative also aims to consolidate the island’s role as a model for aquaculture development in the Mediterranean.

The AZA plan is the result of high-level multidisciplinary research, developed by the International Marine Centre (IMC) through Sardegna Ricerche, under the supervision of the Regional Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. It has drawn on the expertise of national and international scientists, including experts collaborating with the FAO and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). The plan has already been presented internationally as a reference framework for sustainable aquaculture planning.

The proposal identifies 94 aquaculture zones across the island: 63 at sea, 26 in coastal lagoons and 5 in lakes. Each site has been mapped and catalogued in detail, providing operators with transparent guidance on site suitability. One of the most tangible benefits will be the reduction in authorization times from 24 months to just 6 months, giving entrepreneurs and investors a clearer and faster pathway to develop projects.

According to Regional Agriculture Councillor Gian Franco Satta, the new plan represents “a strategic and forward-looking that strengthens the sector, opens up new opportunities for operators and makes Sardinia more attractive to investors.”

The added value of the Plan

Erika Porporato durante curso FAOErika Porporato

Speaking to misPeces on the unique character of the Sardinian AZA Plan, Erika Porporato, AZA specialist at the International Marine Centre, notes that Sardinia’s in currently “the only Italian region to undertake the entire process: from the initial scientific study, through environmental assessment (VAS and VINCA), to formal planning with objectives for development and production enhancement. It is a systematic and institutionalized approach, involving the competent authorities and laying solid foundations for the future.”

Porporato clarifies that several Italian regions have already launched studies and projects to define areas suitable for aquaculture, often in response to EMFF calls and within marine spatial planning initiatives. In Campania and Lazio, suitability studies with maps and criteria have been carried out, but not formal plan has yet been adopted. In Tuscany, Marche, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, some marine AZAs have already been established through regional decisions or administrative management. However, in those cases, the areas mainly arose from pre-existing uses and concessions, rather than from a thorough analytical process.

Looking ahead, Porporato explains that “after its preliminary adoption, the Sardinian AZA plan will move forward with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (VAS) and the Appropriate Assessment (VINCA), which is necessary since some of the identified areas fall within the Natura 2000 Network. This step is foreseen in such processes but is fundamental to ensure full compatibility with conversation objectives. Once this phase is completed, the Plan can be definitively approved and become operational as a reference framework for the granting of concessions, the management of existing facilities and the planning of new developments.”

At Mediterranean level, the expert points out that consolidated experiences already exist in Spain, Greece and Turkey, while a case that is methodologically closer is that of Albania, where an AZA plan was developed starting from an in-depth suitability analysis.

“I believe Sardinia can truly establish itself as a Mediterranean reference laboratory-says Porporato-not only because it is the first Italian regional plan derived from a structured scientific study translated into a formal planning act, but also because, for the first time, the AZAs cover not only the sea but also inland waters, lagoons and lakes, which had never before been considered in an integrated way in aquaculture planning. This integrated approach makes the Sardinian experience particularly innovative and replicable in other Mediterranean contexts.”