Few men but many animals in the Dinaric Alps
At altitude, the karst plateaus leave little room for vegetation, but as soon as the large forests appear, conifers and junipers dominate. Deer, roe deer, chamois and wild boar are hunted under strict regulations. Shooting lynx and wolf is prohibited. Reintroduced to Slovenia in the 1990s, the dreaded canid has just reappeared in Risnjak National Park, at the gateway to Istria. Small mammals have also been recorded, including snow voles, bats and water shrews. Squirrels, dormice and kuna hide in the holes of chestnut and pine trees. The marten holds a special place in Croatian hearts. Chosen as the symbol of the national currency (the HRK), the animal is always engraved on coins, as are the bear, the fish, the turtledove and the endemic yellow iris.
The strange protus anguinus (Proteusanguinus) lives in the watery underground of karst caves. Protected in the same way as amphibians and certain reptiles, this predator belongs to the salamander family. It is sometimes nicknamed "human fish" because its photosensitive skin resembles that of humans.
Green Istria, blessed land of the truffle
In the undergrowth, you'll have to look out for different species of tree (poplar, hornbeam, maple, oak, beech, hop and hazel), at the roots of which you'll find the famous Istrian truffles. There's the white Alba truffle, the most prized, the black winter truffle, very fragrant, the black Périgord truffle, which grows until spring, and the more common black summer truffle.
In the valleys, cypress trees pierce the ochre-colored atmospheric vistas. Olive groves and vineyards are well tended. The southern climate here guarantees a wide variety of medicinal and aromatic plants (mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, savory, sage, lavender, matricaria...), which walkers gather wild in the countryside, while herbalists and farmers, often organic, use them in their production of high-quality infusions.
Brijuni National Park, an exceptional fauna
Thanks to its microclimate, the Brioni archipelago boasts a rich ecosystem, ranging from marine areas and a nature park to land waters, copses and scrubland. On the island of Veliki Brioni, native and non-native species cohabit an area of 561 ha. Rabbits, deer and mouflons roam freely. A zoo has been created(Parc Safari) for Marshal Tito's exotic animals. There's also a reconstructed traditional farm for Istrian beef(boškarin), closely related to the aurochs, regional sheep(istarska pramenka), Lipica horses, donkeys, goats, chickens, ducks and geese.
The deep seabed, carpeted with posidonia, is home to a host of fish, gorgonians, corals and nudibranchs. Starfish, sponges, seahorses and sea urchins can also be seen, signs of good water quality.
Throughout the archipelago, crested cormorants nest year-round, while migratory birds stop off at Saline, a wetland with three marshy lakes of great interest to ornithologists. Here, hidden in the reeds, you'll find warblers, rallids, coots, great grebes, egrets, herons and even storks. This low vegetation is home to many other birds, including nightingales, blackbirds, swift warblers and wood pigeons, while sparrowhawks, common buzzards and harriers soar much higher.
