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inhabiting large carnivores and humans is a great challenge
Conservation of large carnivores: In Slovenia there will be a center for large carnivores, in Croatia a shelter for lynx cubs
Simona Fajfar
Crni lug, Risnjak National Park – In two years, when the Carnivora Dinarica project will end, a center for large carnivores will operate in Krpanov dom in Pivka, which will be the focal point of the Dinaric-Karst area of Slovenia on large carnivores and coexistence of humans and animals. Research on the consequences of the fence on the border with Croatia and its impact on wildlife will also be completed.
“The main goal of the project is better coexistence of humans and large carnivores,” sums up the essence of the project Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, project manager of Carnivora Dinarica: cross-border cooperation and ecosystem services for long-term conservation of large carnivore populations in the northern Dinarides. The project, worth 2.3 million euros and led by the University of Ljubljana – Biotechnical Faculty, brought together eight partners from Slovenia and Croatia, and was later joined by four more partners from both countries.
Beasts know no boundaries
Their purpose is to preserve the populations of large carnivores, ie bears, wolves and lynx, which in Slovenia or Croatia can only be preserved by being part of a larger, ie the Dinaric population. “Carnivores know no borders,” says Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, who adds that all three large carnivores need large and extensive areas: “Habitats along the border are the highest quality habitats for large carnivores in Slovenia, and this also applies to Croatia.”
The data that there are 75 wolves in Slovenia, from 10 to 20 lynxes and from 800 to 900 bears, while in Croatia there are 160 wolves, 50 lynxes and more than 900 bears are important for each country. However, experts have long pointed out that interstate cooperation is important in the long-term conservation of large carnivore populations. Not only experts who have been cooperating for many years or decades, says Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek: “This project is special because it includes key representatives of both countries who manage large carnivores. We expect that interstate cooperation between key decision-makers will help preserve the populations of large carnivores. ”And that decision-makers will prepare a cooperation strategy.
Actions with local residents
The project also envisages concrete actions among the local population, because, as Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek points out, “it is the local population that encounters large carnivores, and problems arise from these encounters”. In addition to educational campaigns, where, among other things, they will prepare material on large carnivores for biology teachers and special didactic points in primary schools, a special feature will be the establishment of a beer center for the conservation of large carnivores. In the premises of Krpanov dom, they will present not only the biology and ecology of bears, wolves and lynxes, but also all previous research and the possibilities of coexistence of humans and large carnivores.
“We plan to make the center a center of information about large carnivores and a hub for all data on the tourist offer and good practices for Slovenia and Croatia,” says Dragica Jaksetič from the municipality of Pivka.
The project also included solutions that proved to be successful in other Slovenian research projects, such as inter-safe bins, which were piloted by experts in the Life Dinalp Bear project in the Kočevje-Ribnik area. They will equip the villages included in the project or in the area of Javorniki-Snežnik and Notranjski trikotnik in Slovenia and in part of Gorski kotar and in northern Lika in Croatia. According to the proven experience of the SloWolf project, farmers will be presented with concrete examples of appropriate protection of domestic animals in the area of large carnivores, where high fences and dogs have been successful. One of the farms will become a model case or a farm of good practices.
Shelter for lynx puppies
A big special feature of the project from the Croatian side of the border is the shelter for lynx puppies. Last winter, a young lynx was brought to the Risnjak National Park, which was found near Novi Vinodolski and could not be kept in the Zagreb Zoo. In Risnjak – named after the lynx – a pen was built and the cub was fed and kept alive. He was given the name Martin and released after being fitted with a telemetry collar. According to the latest data, says Miljenko Gašparac, director of the Risnjak National Park, in Slovenia: “We can arrange a shelter for young lynxes, because lynx are fortunately a species that can be returned to nature. This is not possible with bears and wolves. ”Aleksand
obivanje velikih zveri in ljudi je velik izziv
Ohranjanje velikih zveri: V Sloveniji bo center za velike zveri, na Hrvaškem zavetišče za risje mladiče
Simona Fajfar
Crni lug, Nacionalni park Risnjak – Čez dve leti, ko se bo iztekel projekt Carnivora Dinarica, bo v Krpanovem domu v Pivki deloval center za velike zveri, ki bo osrednja točka dinarsko-kraškega prostora Slovenije o velikih zvereh in sobivanju ljudi ter živali. Končana pa bo tudi raziskava o posledicah ograje na meji s Hrvaško in o njenem vplivu na živalski svet.
»Glavni cilj projekta je boljše sobivanje ljudi in velikih zveri,« v en stavek strne bistvo projekta Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, vodja projekta Carnivora Dinarica: čezmejno sodelovanje in ekosistemske storitve za dolgoročno ohranjanje populacij velikih zveri v severnih Dinaridih. V projektu, ki je vreden 2,3 milijona evrov in ga vodi Univerza v Ljubljani – Biotehniška fakulteta, se je združilo osem partnerjev iz Slovenije in Hrvaške, pozneje pa so se jim priključili še štirje partnerji iz obeh držav.
Zveri ne poznajo meja
Njihov namen je ohranitev populacij velikih zveri, torej medvedov, volkov in risov, ki se v Sloveniji ali na Hrvaškem lahko ohranijo le tako, da so del večje, to je dinarske populacije. »Zveri ne poznajo meja,« pravi Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, ki dodaja, da vse tri velike zveri potrebujejo velika in obsežna območja: »Habitati ob meji so najbolj kakovostni habitati za velike zveri v Sloveniji in to velja tudi za Hrvaško.«
Podatki, da je v Sloveniji 75 volkov, od 10 do 20 risov in od 800 do 900 medvedov, na Hrvaškem pa je 160 volkov, 50 risov in več kot 900 medvedov, so pomembni za posamezno državo. Strokovnjaki pa že dolgo opozarjajo, da je pri dolgoročnem ohranjanju populacij velikih zveri pomembno meddržavno sodelovanje. Ne samo strokovnjakov, ki sodelujejo že vrsto let oziroma desetletij, pravi Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek: »Ta projekt je posebnost zato, ker vanj vključujemo ključne predstavnike obeh držav, ki upravljajo velike zveri. Pričakujemo, da bo meddržavno sodelovanje med ključnimi odločevalci pripomoglo k ohranjanju populacij velikih zveri.« In da bodo odločevalci pripravili strategijo sodelovanja.
Akcije z lokalnimi prebivalci
Projekt predvideva tudi konkretne akcije med lokalnim prebivalstvom, saj, kot opozarja Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, »je lokalno prebivalstvo tisto, ki se srečuje z velikimi zvermi, in iz teh srečevanj nastajajo problemi«. Poleg izobraževalnih akcij, kjer bodo med drugim pripravili gradivo o velikih zvereh za učitelje biologije in posebne didaktične točke po osnovnih šolah, bo posebnost ustanovitev pivškega središča za ohranjanje velikih zveri. V prostorih Krpanovega doma bodo predstavili ne samo biologijo in ekologijo medvedov, volkov in risov, ampak tudi vse dosedanje raziskave in možnosti sobivanja ljudi in velikih zveri.
»Načrtujemo, da bo center postal središče informacij o velikih zvereh in vozlišče vseh podatkov o turistični ponudbi in dobrih praksah za Slovenijo in Hrvaško,« pravi Dragica Jaksetič z občine Pivka.
V projekt pa so vključili tudi rešitve, ki so se izkazale za uspešne v drugih slovenskih raziskovalnih projektih, kot so na primer medovarni smetnjaki, ki so jih strokovnjaki v okviru projekta Life Dinalp Bear pilotno postavili na kočevsko-ribniškem območju. Z njimi bodo opremljali vasi, ki so vključene v projekt oziroma na območju Javorniki-Snežnik in Notranjski trikotnik v Sloveniji ter v delu Gorskega kotarja in v severni Liki na Hrvaškem. Po preverjenih izkušnjah projekta SloWolf pa bodo kmetom s konkretnimi primeri predstavili primerno zaščito domačih živali na območju velikih zveri, kjer so bili uspešni visoke ograje in psi. Ena od kmetij pa bo postala vzorčni primer oziroma kmetija dobrih praks.
Zavetišče za risje mladiče
Velika posebnost projekta s hrvaške strani meje pa je zavetišče za risje mladiče. V Nacionalni park Risnjak so lansko zimo pripeljali mladega risa, ki so ga našli blizu Novega Vinodolskega in ga niso mogli obdržati v zagrebškem živalskem vrtu. V Risnjaku – ime ima po risih – so naredili oboro in mladiča hranili ter obdržali pri življenju. Dali so mu ime Martin in ga po tem, ko so ga opremili s telemetrično ovratnico, izpustili. Po zadnjih podatkih je v Sloveniji, pravi Miljenko Gašparac, ravnatelj Nacionalnega parka Risnjak: »Zavetišče za mlade rise lahko uredimo, ker so risi na srečo vrsta, ki jo je mogoče vrniti v naravo. Z medvedi in volkovi to ni mogoče.« Aleksand