Public Institution "Priroda"

Public Institution Priroda (Javna Ustanova Priroda) is responsible for managing protected areas in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County through inventorying, evaluating, monitoring and supervision of protected natural areas, setting up an institutional framework for cooperation with state and county bodies, local self-government units and related institutions and interest groups, NGOs, participating in the execution of international agreements on nature protection and implementation of European legislations and EU Directives related to the protection of natural values. The Institution manages 27 protected areas and 110 sites that are included in the NATURA 2000 ecological network in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The NATURA 2000 ecological network covers 74.89% of the land area and 16.36% of the sea in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. One of the tasks of the Institution is to conduct educational programmes with the goal of promoting and preserving the natural values of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Educational programmes are carried out through workshops aimed at children, local people, and interested groups. In order to preserve griffon vultures, a strictly protected bird species on the basis of Croatian legislation, Public institution Priroda established the new Beli Visitor and Rescue Centre for Griffon Vultures located on the island of Cres, and manages the Centre since 2014. At the beginning of the 20th century, griffon vultures were widespread all over Croatia, while today they only nest on the Kvarner islands of Cres, Krk, Prvić and Plavnik, which is why this population is often called the Kvarner population. The vultures on the Kvarner islands mostly feed on carcasses of the sheep that graze freely on the island pastures. Today, vultures are faced with many threats, ranging from lack of food (due to the decrease in extensive sheep farming and livestock breeding on the islands) to accidents (electrocution, collisions with wind turbines, or consumption of poisoned meat). The partners in helping re-establish the Centre, and without whose financial contribution it would not have been possible to realise this project, are Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the Town of Cres. Continuous assistance and cooperation regarding bird care has been provided by Zagreb Zoo. We also intensively cooperate with the BIOM Association of Zagreb in monitoring the nesting griffon vulture population and in marking released birds with GPS transmitters. Members of the local Tramuntana Association, people who love griffon vultures and their island, are in charge of welcoming visitors to the Centre and tending to the daily care of the vultures in the Rescue Centre. The project is supported by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and the Town of Cres Tourist Board. By means of a decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy from April 2017, Beli Rescue Centre for Griffon Vultures is the only registered griffon vulture rescue centre in the Republic of Croatia, which means that it plays an important role in the further preservation and care for this strictly protected species.