a vision for meadow restoration in abandoned lands in croatia

A vision for meadow restoration in abandoned lands in Croatia

Tomislav Hudina

[email protected]

Association BIOM, BirdLife in Croatia

28th October 2016, Ulcinj, Montenegro

About BIOM! nature conservation NGO ! established in 2006

! surveys ! mapping ! conservation actions ! sustainable tourism

! advocacy – legal actions

! training and exchange of knowledge

! work with people, students, volunteers

IPAs in Croatia! designation of IPA sites

! Conservation of Important Plant Areas in Croatia 2006-2008

! Faculty of Science in Zagreb, PlantLife, Floron, Planta Europa and Dutch Ministry of agriculture, nature and food quality

! 98 IPA sites – overlapping with Natura 2000 network

Habitat restoration! few very small projects

! 3 locations in NW part of Croatia

! removal of vegetation from artificial gravel islands – breeding habitats of common terns

! pilot project at Nature park Učka

Učka Nature park! nature park, Natura 2000 site, IPA site

! 12 Natura 2000 habitat types

! 49 plant species that fit into A (5) or B (44) criteria

! land abandonment

! succession

! grasslands afforestation with pine species (Pinus nigra)

! insufficient number of grazing catle (sheep, goats, horses, cows)

Photo: Učka Nature park

Pilot project of meadow restoration ! Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands

(Scorzoneratalia villosae)

! blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) overgrowing meadows

Pilot project of meadow restoration

! started in 2014

! English, Belgian, Croatian volunteers

! rangers from NP, firefighters

! 19 days in 3 years

Plans for future! continue collaboration with Nature park Učka– 5 year project

application in progress ! habitat restoration on a larger scale ! participation of international groups of volunteers ! 4 habitat restoration camps/year on different locations

! development of monitoring protocols

! similar project with Nature park Vransko Lake ! also an IPA and Natura 2000 site

! management of reedbeads and grasslands

! land abandonment on dry grasslands and agriculture intensification on lowland grasslands

! development of monitoring protocols

! work with volunteers

! looking for the larger scale (regional) project(s) ! trying to include more IPA sites

! citizen science projects – monitoring of species and habitats

! conecting birds and habitats protection (mainly grasslands)

A vision for meadow restoration in abandoned lands in Croatia

Tomislav Hudina

[email protected]

Association BIOM, BirdLife in Croatia

October 2016, Ulcinj, Montenegro

a vision for meadow restoration in abandoned lands in croatia

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