6 inhabitants per km2) and the population increased by 7.7% during the last decade (Statistics Lithuania, 2012b). Tourism is the major source of income. In 2012, 69 accommodations hosted 49 456 tourists with 134 786 tourist overnight stays. About Sorafenib 47.4% of the tourists were foreigners. Tourism is concentrated in the summer months, with roughly 72% of overnight stays between June and August (Statistics Lithuania, 2012a). About 12 km out of nearly 50 km of Baltic Sea beaches are used for recreational purposes, have been awarded with the Blue Flag, and possess excellent bathing water
quality according the Water Bathing Directive 2006/7/EB. A 53 km bicycle path has been developed, and Nida possesses the only sport boat harbour on the spit. All land belongs to the state and is only rented to the local population. Agriculture is not allowed in Neringa, and forestry and fisheries account for only about 1% of the total economic turnover. Neringa has a long commercial and cultural tradition in fisheries, but changes during recent years (fish species composition and stock in the Curonian lagoon, fishery restrictions and high real estate prices) caused a decline Dabrafenib ic50 which is considered to be negative for tourism development. Increasing numbers of motorised visitors and infrastructure and urban development coupled with nature protection restrictions have caused
ongoing debates in the municipality. 12 partner organisations from across the European Union were involved in SUSTAIN, a 3-year INTERREG IVC programme project partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The objective was to create an indicator-based methodology and scoring system which enables local and regional authorities to self-evaluate their sustainability performance for the purpose of improving coastal zone management (SUSTAIN
partnership, 2012b). The project followed a bottom-up approach and involved end-users already in the development phase. SUSTAIN provides an indicator set to measure sustainability, with a total of 58 core indicators (84 Alanine-glyoxylate transaminase indicators altogether) grouped according to 24 issues, which are then allocated to the four pillars of sustainability: governance, economics, social-wellbeing, and the environment. The first three are represented by five issues, while the last is measured by nine issues. The system is based on indicators that are commonly used and regularly monitored, according to EU legislation. The set of 58 core indicators should always be applied in study sites, while additional 26 optional indicators allow experts to adapt the set to local and regional s needs (SUSTAIN partnership, 2012b). The governance issues and indicators are used to measure the consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, processes, and decisions for good coastal management. Traditionally, indicators to measure governance have proven to be very difficult to define (Bouckaert and Van de Walle, 2003 and Ehler, 2003).