Protected Croatian wetlands helping preserve fresh water sources and eco systems

ZAGREB, 2 February (Hina) – On World Wetlands Day, which is marked 2 February, public institutions and environmentalists organise various activities related to the protection of wetlands and fresh water resources.

“The entire world is faced with the growing crisis of the lack of fresh water, which represents a great threat to all of mankind and our planet, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development said on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat was signed in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971.

Croatia became a signatory to the convention in 1991, listing the Kopački Rit, Lonjsko Polje and Vransko Jezero as well as the Crna Mlaka Reservation in Jastrebardsko and the Lower Neretva River on the convention’s list of protected areas.

Lonjsko Polje Nature Park

The World Wide Fund for Nature Adria, the Hyla NGO and the Natura Jadera public institution for protected nature areas warned of the need to preserve the sources of fresh water and their eco systems. 

“Wetlands contribute to better-quality water and act as a filter that reduces the effects of pollution….and mitigate the consequences of climate change,” said Irma Popović Dujmović from WWF Adria.

Vransko Jezero (Photo credit: Vid Pogacnik / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Preserving wetlands is particularly important on the islands where there is less fresh water and the effects of climate change are more noticeable, she added.

Kopački Rit

As part of the MedIsWet project for the protection of wetlands on Mediterranean islands, WWF Adria has mapped and assessed the situation of 151 larger wetlands on 31 Adriatic islands. Even though the situation is still good and under certain protection, there is still a large number of wetlands that are threatened with extinction, Boris Lauš from the Hyla NGO said.