Croatian activists fight for protected nature reserve

Croatian environmentalists have condemned the government’s adoption of a Draft Law that aims to reduce the area of protected landscape at Medvednica nature reserve north of Zagreb. Zelena Akcija, (Green Action), founded in 1990, is a leading non-governmental organization for environmental protection in Croatia that has made a name for itself for its innovative and participative campaigns.

According to the green action group, the proposed law, that was presented at the Government session on July 10,  proves that: “Instead of protecting the landscape and preventing illegal construction, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Construction and Spatial Planning promotes a reduction of the park area from 22,800 to 17,900 hectares”.

The proposal, continues the association, is unacceptable both in terms of its contents and the proper procedure, noting that the status of protected landscape offers very low level of protection and it actually allows for construction and development projects to take place in the area.

“The problems that investors and developers may face result primarily from badly solved administrative issues and overlapping competences of several bodies and institutions, i.e. inefficient bureaucracy”, is Zelena Akcija’s comment.

It also expressed its concerns that the Law may lead to greater reduction of green and forested areas around Zagreb, resulting in lower air quality and lasting devastation of the landscape.

The environmental group therefore demands that: “The 5,000 hectares lost be compensated on the eastern slopes of Medvednica. Compensations in other parts of Croatia can`t and won`t have direct effects on the citizens of Zagreb”.

The association also demanded improved protection and increased protected areas in the country, noting that with its 8.69% of the total territory under protection, Croatia is well below the minimum EU level of 15 percent, while the current average is about 20% of the territory of each member state.

Finally, the environmentalists highlight that the Draft Law didn’t pass through the proper public debate procedure, despite the fact that there is a legal requirement of at least 30 days of public debate listed in the Law on Environmental Protection.

“National parks and protected landscapes are the greatest natural value in Croatia, protected by the Sabor (Croatian parliament) with a series of proper laws and regulations. Therefore, we appeal to the Government and the Sabor to pull out this Draft-Law from procedure”, concluded Zelena Akcija’s activists, who will not let the matter drop without a fight.