ZAGREB, 22 May (Hina) - The project "Enhanced Management of Protected Areas and Natura 2000 Ecological Network Sites", worth €75 million, was presented on Wednesday in Osekovo, at the entrance to the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park.
The aim of the project is to contribute to the preservation and achievement of favourable conservation status of target species and habitat types, as well as the sustainable management of ecosystems and biodiversity through conservation, restoration and management activities in protected areas and Natura 2000 network sites across Croatia.
"This is an investment in nature, and by the end of the four-year cycle, the value of the project will exceed €100 million. The local population and community will play an important role in the implementation of these projects," said Marija Vučković, Minister for Environmental Protection and Green Transition.
She expressed her satisfaction that the project was being announced ahead of the International Day for Biological Diversity and the Croatian Nature Protection Day.
"The initial projects were prepared by public institutions, specifically nature parks, and we hope that local government units will also apply to public calls for tenders. The prepared projects focus on restoring watercourses, rehabilitating pastures, clearing invasive species, and so on," she said.
The project will be financed by the Croatian state budget and co-financed from the EU Competitiveness and Cohesion programme.
The first five prepared projects were presented today in Osekovo, at the entrance to Lonjsko Polje Nature Park. Domagoj Šajatović, Director of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park Public Institution, expressed his pleasure that his institution was hosting the event and shared his enthusiasm for the project. "The project in the Lonjsko Polje area is worth over €2 million and will be implemented over four years. During this period, we will restore 535 hectares of overgrown pastures, enable nesting and feeding for protected bird species, and support livestock farmers across all five natural pasture areas within the Park," he said.
Miško Šklempe, President of the Croatian Federation of Heavy Draft Horse Breeders Association, thanked the government for launching the programme, which has recognised the importance of livestock and local communities in preserving biodiversity and pastures. "Livestock on free-range grazing are the best cleaners and protectors of natural pastures. I hope this programme will also be recognised by local governments, as in some areas pastures have not yet been leased to farmers for grazing, nor has a pasture management plan been fully adopted," he said.
In addition to the host, Lonjsko Polje Nature Park, other nature parks that presented projects to be co-financed under this programme included Velebit, Kopački Rit, Učka and Žumberak - Samoborsko Gorje. All of the projects share a focus on the restoration and protection of natural resources; forests, pastures and watercourses, as well as the involvement of local communities in nature conservation, the development of complementary activities, and ultimately, the creation of new opportunities for local community development.
