Croatian Nature Park Breathes New Life Into Karst Ponds

Five karst ponds, which are important as biodiversity hotspots and for the survival of human activity in mountainous areas, have been restored in the Učka Nature Park as part of a project by the Biom Association aimed at preserving the biodiversity of Učka and Ćićarija in Croatia.

This is part of the Still Water Revival project for the restoration and conservation of small freshwater ecosystems in the karst mountains of the Mediterranean, financed by the Donors Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems, CE Report quotes HINA.

The project is worth nearly €650,000. Among the partners are the Učka Nature Park, the 4 Towns Dragodid Association, Croatian Forests, Northern Velebit National Park, and Biokovo Nature Park.

In addition to the restoration of the ponds, other activities have been carried out aimed at raising awareness of threatened biodiversity. A Pond Guardians Programme has been launched, and in the Učka Nature Park, the guardians have become pupils from three local schools. They were chosen in order to pass on knowledge about the importance of this ecosystem and biodiversity in general to new generations.

Učka Nature Park says that with the successful completion of yet another project aimed at preserving the biodiversity of Učka and Ćićarija, it has made a step forward in the implementation of activities aimed at comprehensive protection of the area, focusing on different segments of conservation, different ecosystems, and species that are becoming endangered due to various factors.