Zadar County's economy relies heavily on nautical tourism, making it the most important nautical destination in Croatia, given its sea area and mooring capacity. Furthermore, Zadar County ranks highest in nautical anchorage concessions because of its highly indented coastline and numerous islands, as well as its extensive area and mooring capacity. Simultaneously, the coastal area and its sensitive marine ecosystems are significantly affected by nautical anchorages. This primarily refers to physical interventions on the coast and traditional mooring systems based on concrete blocks, which occupy the seabed and degrade habitats such as Posidonia oceanica meadows. Nautical anchorages are organised and regulated through concession management mechanisms, which enables the controlled use of anchoring equipment and contributes to reducing the negative impacts of traditional anchoring on sensitive benthic habitats. In practice, the management of concessions has encountered a number of obstacles demanding investigation and analysis to improve the system. This is crucial for the development of sustainable coastal resource management and the preservation of marine ecosystems. This research article examines how regulated nautical anchorages contribute to the sustainable expansion of nautical tourism in Zadar County, with a focus on the legal framework, spatial planning and environmental effects of the existing anchorage systems. The distribution of nautical anchorage concessions at the national level was assessed, and a thorough review of the Zadar County situation was undertaken, including the number of concessions, their locations, capacities and compliance with environmental regulations. In addition, the analysis considered concessions from 2015 to 2025, the locations of anchorages and buoys, and an assessment of the physical footprint of the anchorage systems on the seabed using standardised dimensions of concrete blocks. An assessment of the area covered by the anchorage blocks was undertaken to determine their potential ecological impacts on seagrass and Posidonia habitats, taking into account the possibility of replacing conventional systems with environmentally friendly solutions. The results have revealed fluctuating market interest, alongside issues like financial viability, locational restrictions and compliance with legal regulations. Furthermore, a somewhat consistent concession system has been developed, showing obvious differences in capacity across locations and varying levels of adherence to environmental standards. This confirms that integrating ecological anchorage technologies and spatial planning criteria is crucial for long-term, sustainable management of nautical anchorages in Zadar County.