Croatia Safeguards Old Growth Forests
© Environment News Service (ENS) 2001
June 6, 2001
ZAGREB, Croatia, June 6, 2001 (ENS) - The Republic of Croatia has signed an agreement to extend special protection to the forests of Velebit National Park. The 770 square mile area of scenic rocky landscapes contains some of the few old growth forests remaining in the Mediterranean region.
Announced Tuesday to mark World Environment Day, the agreement has been designated a Gift to the Earth by the conservation organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Republic of Croatia. Gifts to the Earth are new actions or clear commitments by governments, organizations, corporations or individuals to help preserve the planet’s natural wealth.
Characteristic karst limestone rock formations of Velabit. The Dinarid Mountain range, which runs through Croatia from Slovenia to Bosnia, is one of the best known karst regions in the world. The term karst originated here. (Photos courtesy Croatian National Tourist Board)
The Velebit mountains, in the Dinarid Mountain range, are part of the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program and have been identified by the WWF's Forest Hot Spot Initiative as one of the 10 most important forest areas in the Mediterranean region.Croatian President Stipe Mesic praised the agreement which is the result of joint efforts by the Croatian Ministry of Environment, the Croatian Forest Research Institute Jastrebarsko, WWF and the non-governmental organization Green Action, known as Friends of the Earth-Croatia.
The forests are under threat from forest fires, water pollution, transboundary air pollution, and potentially by excessive road construction and tourism.
"This is an important achievement. Not only is this one of Europe's richest regions for rare and endangered species, and a national symbol for the Croatians, it also contributes to the network of forest protected areas in the Mediterranean," said Claude Martin, director general of WWF. "Forest protection also helps combat desertification, one of the most challenging issues in the whole Mediterranean Basin."
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is now considering a US$5 million grant to the government of Croatia to protect the country's biodiversity, which the GEF says is of global significance. The funds would be used to build national capacity to conserve biodiversity and support natural resource management.
If the GEF grant is approved, the Croatian Ministry of Environment would oversee the incorporation of biodiversity conservation plans in agricultural, forestry, and water use practices. An ecotourism strategy would be developed for the region and training in protected area management for parks managers, rangers, tourist guides would be covered by the grant.
WWF aims to implement an innovative protection plan in the region integrating conservation and sustainable development, allowing local communities to benefit economically from protection of the environment.
It is part of a wider WWF campaign to preserve the Mediterranean forests, which has already led to the establishment of protected areas in Turkey and Lebanon. The campaign focuses on 10 Forest Hot Spots that are among the most important forests in terms of biological diversity, and whose protection is vital to preserve the Mediterranean Basin's natural heritage.
Pedro Regato, forest officer at WWF Mediterranean Programme Office said the organization is calling on other governments in the Mediterranean Basin, in particular France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia, to follow the example of the Croatian government.
Velabit National Park
"Mediterranean forests are among the richest in biodiversity and at the same time some of the most threatened in the world. Only 17 percent of the original Mediterranean forest cover is left," Regato said.
The forests and karst limestone caves of the Velebit mountains catch and hold water, and they are home to large populations of wolves, brown bears and lynxes. About 2,700 plant species can be found there, many of which are native to that area alone.
Under the agreement signed by the Croatian government, Velebit will be included in the Emerald Network, a conservation framework for the contracting parties of the Bern Convention that is equivalent to the European Union's Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
The Emerald Network is the network of conservation areas developed under the Bern Convention (1979) on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Croatia ratified the Bern Convention in July 2000.
The Emerald Network is an important tool for countries that will help European Union candidate countries like Croatia to meet the environmental laws and standards of the European Union, a requirement for accession.