In the north, near the Slovenian border
In the forests of the Dinaric Alps, the natural domain of large trees, conifers dominate (firs, black pines, spruces) but also junipers, which are resistant to winter snows. In the lower parts, there are wooded hills, valleys, vast meadows, where different species of oaks, hornbeams, hazels, beeches, sycamores grow.
In the far north of Croatia, the king of the forest is the brown bear!
They would be more than a thousand to reproduce there. If hunting wild boar, deer or roe deer is widely authorized, shooting bears is strictly regulated (four months a year); the plantigrade is one of the three big carnivores protected with the lynx and the wolf. At the Veterinary University of Zagreb, research on the brown bear is directed by one of the best European specialists, Professor Djuro Huber. The Kuterevo association, in a village of the same name (30 km from Senj), is also involved in its preservation. A team of volunteers manages a refuge for orphaned bears, which can be visited.
In the forest, the patient observer can see wild boars, wild cats or red foxes. With the wolf, it is more difficult! Reintroduced in Slovenia in the 1990s, the dreaded canid has just reappeared in the north of Croatia and in the heights of the Plitvice park. Much less feared, the pine marten, the kuna, holds a special place in the hearts of Croatians. This small carnivorous mammal, a member of the mustelid family, was chosen as the symbol of the national currency (HRK). In the Middle Ages, the fur of its long, bushy tail was used as a currency. Today, the animal is engraved on the coins still in use, as are the bear, the fish, the turtle dove and the endemic yellow iris(Degenia velebitica).
Another emblematic animal, the strange protus anguillard(Proteus anguinus), that divers have found in the karst caves of the Dinaric Alps (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy). Protected in the same way as the amphibians, the predator of the aquatic underground belongs to the family of the salamanders. It is sometimes called "human fish" because its photosensitive skin resembles that of humans. Also protected is the sea otter, which lives in the waters of the Plitvice and Krka national parks and feeds on crayfish and freshwater fish.
In these lakes and rivers there are also eels, carp, trout, pike, catfish. In the Slavonic wetlands (northeast), many migratory birds delight ornithologists. In the Kopački Rit nature park, there are more than 275 species of birds. There are grey herons, wild ducks, moorhens, cranes, golden eagles, short-footed eagles as well as cormorants, egrets, terns, eagles, storks..
Overfishing and global warming
The seabed, those of the Kornati archipelago for example, are covered with posidonia. Clinging to the rocks, gorgonians, corals, nudibranchs. You can see starfish, sponges, more rarely seahorses and very frequently sea urchins, signs of an excellent water quality. Off the island of Losinj, a small colony of wild dolphins is cared for by the Blue World Institute's association, while sea turtles have just been reintroduced on the Istrian coast. On the island of Cres, the colony of griffon vultures does not mix well with vacationers. We try to re-establish them on the mainland.
On the southern lands, the karst pits have created deep lakes, salt lakes where fresh water mixes with sea water. The endemic flora adapts to the high temperatures. Cypress, olive trees, fig trees, wild almond trees draw water from deep in the ground. In the scrubland or the maquis, scented with aromatic plants, hide the mongoose, the olive tree hypolaïs, Hermann's tortoise, lizards, insects. In the Paklenica canyon, there are peregrine falcons, hawks, owls, not to mention vipers, two endemic species, the unicorn and the peliad. Yes, there are quite a few snakes in Croatia! Most of them are not venomous, like the leopard snake, the snake or the orvet. All in all an admirable biodiversity!
A country divided between tourism and ecology
But today, Croatia does not escape the global paradox. Its crystal clear waters in the Adriatic Sea attract more and more people. This over-visitation harms the ecosystem. These last years, a collective awareness points out the problems of the environmental pressure. The observation is simple: the goose that lays the golden eggs is fragile.
After the last war, Croatia has quickly valorized its natural resources to transform them into a real mono-industry. The economic stakes linked to tourism are based on the attractiveness of historical cities, but above all on the joys of seaside activities, sailing and the discovery of fantastic national parks. To have the chance to enter an intact nature, to bathe at the foot of waterfalls, to watch the passage of wild geese, to find a deserted island, to observe the sea bed, to cross marine mammals or large birds... all this is possible in Croatia. Problem: every summer, mass tourism in the South is such that it threatens the balance of this wonderful natural heritage. The concreting of the coasts and islands is combined with the increase of cruise ships, offshore exploitation and other pollutants. But how to find a compromise between the need to exploit nature and the duty to preserve our common good? This is the enormous challenge that awaits the Croatian political leaders and, consequently, the whole civil society.
