Since 2013, Croatia has been one of the new member states of Central and Eastern Europe. As a result, the country has joined the Natura 2000 network, bringing together natural and semi-natural sites of great heritage value (habitat, flora and fauna). Remarkable biodiversity! In the Velebit massif or the Mur-Drave-Danube regional park, which are part of the international network of biosphere reserves, special protection areas for large and small mammals, birds, freshwater fish, insects, etc. are home to treasures of naturalness that do not, or no longer, exist in the EU.
For lovers of quiet walks and wide-open spaces, and those concerned about environmental protection, Croatia offers a wealth of opportunities to discover unspoilt, peaceful nature. Mount Biokovo, classified as a nature park, hides sublime panoramas over the sea. Saint-Georges, the highest peak, rises to 1,762 m. This high-altitude natural site is home to a varied fauna, including chamois, wolves and a wide variety of birds. The Sjerverni Velebit, established as a high-altitude national park in 1999, the Paklenika national park (Zadar region), where climbing is also practised, as well as the Risnjak nature park, with its trails along the Kupa river, its lake and its beautiful rock faces, the Ucka Nature Park, plunging into the Gulf of Kvarner and home to rare bird species such as the griffon vulture, are all magnificent natural sites that are well-preserved but not so easily accessible.
Plitvice Lakes under pressure
Among the Croatian national parks, Plitvic Lakes National Park was one of the first to be created (April 8, 1949) and was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979. Unfortunately, this hydraulic wonder of nature has fallen victim to its own success, and is therefore under threat. Annual visitor numbers have risen from 500,000 in 1979 to almost 2 million in the last decade. Where man had succeeded in developing the site with wooden footbridges and soft construction, without altering the landscape, recent years (excluding the Covid19 pandemic) have transformed the protected area into a prime example of the evils of over-tourism. To reduce the pressure of the summer crowds, park management has set a maximum quota of 5,000 simultaneous visitors and decided to limit the number of visitors per day to 10,000. What's more, the park has to keep a tight rein on tourists, who don't always respect the marked itineraries or the bathing bans.
Around the park, the appetite of real estate investors is growing, at the risk of putting the surrounding natural environment under strain. The outlying buildings and infrastructures that have sprung up, along with their non-compliant drainage systems, are affecting the lakes' ecosystems. To a lesser extent, the same effects are occurring in the Krka River National Park.
The Adriatic Sea ever more coveted
Croatia's coastline and archipelagos also suffer from these paradoxes, despite the fact that the country's beaches and waters, which are of good environmental quality, rank among the best in the Mediterranean. But here again, tourism is not without impact. Unregulated nautical activities, construction in protected marine areas, and the waste generated by the flow of holidaymakers all take their toll on the Adriatic Sea and its rivers. Cruise ships, although fewer in number in recent years, continue to generate a great deal of pollution, particularly through their discharge of chemicals and wastewater. Another cause for concern is the fact that Croatia's entry into the EU has intensified industrial fishing in its waters. The decline in fish and shellfish of all kinds is particularly marked in this region of the Mediterranean, which is also affected by climate change.
Struggles for the ecological transition
Faced with the consequences of mass tourism, the Zelena Akcija (Green Action) association, which is a member of the international Friends of the Earth federation, has been campaigning against the concrete development of coastal areas for the past ten years. Among her many hobbyhorses is the fight against oil and gas exploration. It has been joined in this fight by the Fridays for Future - Zagreb association, created in the wake of the climate appeal launched by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
One of the major projects contested by environmental associations, the floating liquefied natural gas terminal on the island of Krk, went into service in 2020. LNG is a fossil fuel that emitsCO2, and the installation of this terminal, with an annual capacity of 2.6 billion cubic meters, has raised fears for the coastline. The European Union is backing this major project, the first of its kind in Croatia, which is intended to reduce the country's dependence on Russia. Ecological associations, on the other hand, believe that the commercial operation of the Krk LNG terminal serves mainly private interests. On the renewable energy front, however, Croatia is taking action. In recent years, it has inaugurated large solar power plants on the island of Vis, in Virje (Koprivnica-Križevci county) and plans to install others throughout the country.
Waste management, the urgency to act
This is one of Croatia's major environmental weaknesses. The country is one of the least efficient members of the European Union in terms of waste management, and is struggling to meet its recycling targets. Waste centers are very poorly managed, particularly the Marišćina one, which associations are calling for to be closed. The municipality of Krk is on the right track, with over 50% of waste sorted. By contrast, the situation in Zagreb remains worrying. Home to 25% of the Croatian population, the capital boasts a number of beautiful green spaces(Botanicnki Vrt), historic green avenues and two artificial lakes. It alone generates a third of the country's waste. When it comes to sorting and recycling, the city is one of Europe's worst performers. But times are changing. The municipality was won in May 2021 by Tomislav Tomašević, candidate of the left-green coalition and fervent advocate of ecology. He promised to tackle the Jakuševac landfill, the 800-ton mountain of waste at the gates of Zagreb. A huge challenge!
Other remarkable initiatives have also been launched. Often, the islands set an example by reducing waste or refusing to accept polluting vehicles. On the island of Zlarin, elected representatives were pioneers in the fight against single-use plastic. Stores, restaurants, associations and local authorities have signed a declaration pledging to reduce the use of these toxic materials. Festival organizers are also becoming more virtuous by controlling the use of cups, while supermarkets are looking for solutions to the problem of over-packaging food products.
