The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded by the international organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to communities that make a special effort to manage their coastal/inland water environment and beaches with respect for the local environment and nature.
What is FEE? FEE is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, founded in 1981, which has its headquarters in Denmark, but it is present in more than 60 countries all around the world. In Italy the FEE is active since 1987 and it deals with the national Blue Flag programme and other similar and complementary projects (Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment, Learning about Forests and Green Key), whose main aim is to promote sustainable development and environmental awareness.
The Blue Flag programme was started in France in 1985 and within a few years it spread to other European countries and then to many areas outside of Europe. Today, the Blue Flag has become a truly global programme with an ever-increasing number of countries participating in it. The Blue Flag has become a highly respected and recognised eco-label working to bring together tourism and the environment at local, regional and national levels and its aim is to promote high-quality standards.
The municipality of Gatteo is proud to have been awarded with the Blue Flag, but this implies a total commitment by the community to keep on working. Blue Flag accreditation is given after an in-depth analysis which takes into account environmental management criteria concerning certificates of environmental quality, wastewater treatment, separate waste collection, environmental initiatives, tourism and professional fishing. These criteria are constantly updated in order to challenge the communities to achieve higher and higher standards. This effort by local communities ensures that you and your family can expect to visit clean and safe environments at selected bathing sites.
To attain the Blue Flag, local authorities, residents, tourism and beach operators have to cooperate in order to fulfil a number of criteria covering the four categories of:
- a) water quality
b) environmental education
c) environmental management
d) safety and services
The Blue Flag season in Gatteo Mare starts on 1st of June and ends on 15th of September: during this period the beach must fully comply with all the Blue Flag criteria and all the services must be available. The national FEE organisation checks the Blue Flag sites during the season and it is helped by local Corps of Harbour Masters and Coast Guards. Blue Flag accreditation is only given for one season at a time and the award is only valid as long as the criteria are fulfilled. When this is not the case, the flag must be permanently or temporarily withdrawn from the beach, according to the degree of noncompliance.
During the Blue Flag season physical-chemical and microbiological parameters of the bathing water must be monitored, especially as far as concerns these microbiological parameters: Escherichia coli (faecal coli bacteria) <250/100 CFU/ml and intestinal enterococci <100/100 CFU/ml. Values above the limit of acceptability are allowed only very few times during the Blue Flag season.
A Blue Flag beach must have at least one sampling site and this must be located where the concentration of bathers is higher. There must be no more than 30 days between samples during the Blue Flag season. In Gatteo Mare there are two sampling sites: Gatteo Nord testing point (n. IT008040016002) and Foce Fiume Rubicone Nord testing point (n. IT008040016001).
The judging panel of the FEE evaluates the analyses of bathing water samples, which are carried by independent accredited laboratories. The analysis of the bathing water samples of Gatteo Mare is carried by ARPA-Regione Emilia Romagna (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection in the Emilia-Romagna region) and you can find all the updated seasonal reports on its official website.
The beach users must be informed about the bathing water quality of the current season, therefore a table with easily identifiable symbols (emoticons), which correspond to the results, is displayed on the two Blue Flag information boards situated in Piazza Romagna Mia (at the beach first aid) and at the mouth of the Rubicon river (on a wall of the bird watchtower) in Gatteo Mare. There is a board with a table with the updated results concerning bathing water quality also in every bathing establishment on the beach in Gatteo Mare.
Environmental education and information play a main role in the Blue Flag Programme. Therefore the most important and useful information must be displayed on the Blue Flag information boards: e.g. the Blue Flag Programme’s main aims, a map of the local area where pictograms indicate the main facilities and services (including first aid equipment, life guards availability and first aid station), the beach code of conduct (e.g. ban of motor vehicles, fire ban, etc.). The information is available also in English in order to be understandable for foreign tourists.
The bathers must be safe, therefore there is an adequate number of life guards, public rescue and first aid equipment and also an attended beach first aid in Piazza Romagna Mia (telephone +39 0547 87333). In Gatteo Mare lifeguards are available from May to September from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm.
Moreover, the Blue Flag beaches which support multiple activities have management plans to prevent accidents and conflicts. This includes zoning for swimmers, motor craft and water sports.
The beach in Gatteo Mare is accessible also to users with reduced mobility. The beach and surrounding areas, including paths, parking areas and access paths to the beach, must be clean and maintained at all times. Moreover, sustainable means of transportation and the development of pedestrian zone are promoted.
You can help the Blue Flag Programme by also taking actions to protect the environment, following these useful tips:
– use the litter-bins on the beach and recycle waste if possible
– use public transport, walk or ride a bike
– obey the beach code of conduct
– enjoy the nature of the beach and its surroundings and treat it with respect
– take part in the environmental education initiatives organized by Gatteo Mare
Different types of sustainable development activities are promoted by the municipality of Gatteo (Installing of Houses of Water – free drinking water dispensers, recycling waste campaigns), whose aim is to improve the quality of life for residents and tourists.
The municipality of Gatteo organizes environmental education activities in order to involve and raise awareness within many different interest groups such as students, families, tourists, residents, tourism operators, by supporting national and international environmental campaigns (e.g. the energy saving campaign “M’illumino di meno”, etc.) and by cooperating with local non-profit organizations.
For further information about the environmental education activities and more generally on the Blue Flag Beach in Gatteo Mare, please contact our Tourist Information Office (IAT office, Piazza della Libertà 10, 47043 Gatteo Mare, tel. +39 0547 86083, iat@comune.gatteo.fc.it) which is also a Blue Flag Information centre.
These are the local, national and international Blue Flag responsible parties:
– Lucia Monte, tel. +39 0541 935537, lucia.monte@comune.gatteo.fc.it
– FEE Italia, via Tronto, 20 – 00198, Roma, info@feeitalia.org
– Blue Flag Co-ordination: Scandiagade, 13, DK 2450, Kobenhavn SV Denmark, coordination@blueflag.org
Most of the contents of this page are taken from the official websites of the Blue Flag and of the FEE, which we suggest you to visit to get more details:
– the international website of the Blue Flag Programme
– the national website of the Blue Flag Programme
– the international website of the FEE
– the national website of the FEE
Gatteo Mare has been awarded with one more accreditation by paediatricians as Green Flag Beach.
INFORMATIONS
Gatteo a Mare
47043 Gatteo (FC)
0547 86083
iat@comune.gatteo.fo.it