20.09.2022.
The head of Intermediate Body at the Fund, Sanja Jelačić, took part in the preliminary conference for the strategic project Karlovac Karst in Ogulin. The project is aimed at mine clearance and conservation of the karst forests in the Natura 2000 areas in the southwestern parts of Karlovac County.The Karlovac Karst project is co-financed from the European Union Cohesion Fund, while the implementing authority is the Croatian forest management company Hrvatske šume, with the aim of clearing mines from large areas of forest and forest ground thus ensuring safety for the citizens. The project partner is the Ministry of Interior in charge of the important demining operations.
The attendees of the conference that was held at the Open University in Ogulin were addressed by the host – the president of the Board of Hrvatske šume, Krunoslav Jakupčić, the director of the Croatian Forest Research Institute, Sanja Perić, the director of the Civil Protection Directorate, Damir Trut, state secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mario Šiljeg, the head of Intermediate Body at the Fund, Sanja Jelačić, and the Karlovac Karst project manager Tomislav Lipošćak.
The overall value of the project is HRK 241.2 million. The project started on 1 January 2019, and the expected completion is on 30 December 2023.
”A 196.5 million kunas EU grant under the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014 – 20202 was approved for mine clearance and protection of this large forest area. Projects like this one, and the remaining three we’re cooperating on – the Ecomanager, Naturavita and Fearless Velebit – are in total worth around one billion kunas. They comply with the green, sustainable goals that will contribute to the preservation of the environment, and many plant and animal species making Croatia an exceptional and unique place,” said the head of Intermediate Body at the Fund, Sanja Jelačić.
The state secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development Mario Šiljeg pointed out that even though forests were not under the ministry’s competence climate change was, and forests had the leading role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. He also reminded about last year’s speech of Prime Minister Plenković in Glasgow when he announced that Croatia was planning to compensate the impact of tourists visiting the Adriatic Sea on gas emissions by planting more than 1 million tree seedlings. He said that consultations were under way to see the options for realising this plan.
In his speech, the president of the Board of Hrvatske šume, Krunoslav Jakupčić, stressed the importance of forests’ demining for the citizens of the Ogulin area, and the importance of reinstating the forest management system that would allow better protection of the forests and forest land covered by the Natura 2000 ecological network.
The project activities include mine clearance of forests and forest land, renovation of the firefighting infrastructure, and recovery of forests and forest land, with the total value of mine clearance for 1,709.06 ha of more than 166 million kunas. The reconstruction of fire trails will provide a better protection of the forests and forest land from fires in the project area, resulting in better protection of biodiversity. The reconstructed roads will measure 43.6 km, of which 24.87 km will pass through the area suspected of mines, while 18.73 is clear of this area. The forests and forest land will be rejuvenated, which will contribute to improvements in the structure, stability, and resilience of the forest ecosystems to climate change, and in the generally useful forest functions.
