CROATIA

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Plitvice Lakes National Park

Institutional Weaknesses Endanger History of Environmental Protection

Croatia’s most important natural resources include fertile soils, forests, surface and underground waters, the Adriatic Sea and numerous unique protected areas. These treasures were threatened by a four-year war and now face pressure from development.

Protection of nature and the human environment has a long tradition in Croatia. Relatively high standards of environmental legislation were already developed during the 1970s and 1980s. The sea, seacoast, forests, flora, fauna and other parts of nature enjoy special protection of the state. Croatia is party to numerous international treaties in the field of nature and environmental protection.

But recently, rapid economic development may have begun to outpace the government's abilities to establish effective environmental measures. Under the current governmental structure, there is no dedicated ministry for environmental matters, though there are proposals to change this situation.

The territory of the Republic of Croatia consists of three main, natural-geographical regions: the Pannonian plains, the mountainous region and the Mediterranean region.

The Pannonian region comprises the northern part of the country, with the Sava, Drava and Danube rivers as its boundaries. The greatest concentration of cities and industry is located in the Pannonian plain, but there is also much agriculture and wilderness in this region. The soil in the Pannonian region is, for the most part, very fertile, suitable for crops and livestock breeding, and sections of this territory are covered with well-preserved, highly valuable forest vegetation.

The mountainous region occupies the central part of Croatia. This is the most forested, least populated and least developed region of the country.

The Mediterranean section of the country consists of a narrow coastal zone located along the Adriatic Sea. Tourism is especially developed in this zone.

Croatia has a rich biodiversity of ecosystems and habitats and an abundance of flora and fauna. It is estimated that Croatian territory harbours more than 9,400 plants, 20,000 mushrooms and fungi, 1,000 lichens and about 56,000 animals. There are more than 1,000 endemic plant and animal species, which can mostly be found in alpine areas, karst areas, rivers in the Adriatic basin, islands and in the Adriatic Sea.

Approximately 12.5 percent of the nation's territory is within the networks of national parks or some other form of environmental protection, and the intention is to increase the protected areas to 15 percent of the country. There are eight national parks, including, four in the mountain regions: Risnjak, Paklenica, Sjeverni Velebit and the Plitvice lakes; and four in the coastal area: Kornati, Mljet, Brijuni and Krka.

War that raged from 1991-95 had direct negative impact on environmental protection in Croatia. Damage from the war included uncontrolled waste disposal, water pollution, interruption of pollution prevention efforts and transboundary pollution. The war also caused direct damage to natural areas – such as Lonjsko Polje Natural Park and Krka National Park – and the environment – including leakage of chemicals from destroyed industrial complexes, especially near Sisak.

Thousands of inactivated explosive devices will remain a permanent threat to agriculture, domestic and wild animals for a long time.

While the worst damage from the war has been done, the threats to nature from development are ongoing. If Croatia is to continue protecting its natural resources in the face of these pressures, the country may have to consider ways to strengthen its environmental institutions.

One of the more urgent environmental problems the country is currently facing is the need for better municipal and industrial waste management at the local level. Generally, there is no selective waste collection and the waste is mostly disposed of in uncontrolled dumps. Furthermore, conditions of municipal and industrial wastewater purification must be improved.

In general, there is unsatisfactory enforcement of environmental regulation at the local level, despite the existence of local environmental authorities.

Improvements in environmental protection measures on the local level, and the national level as well, are likely to be facilitated by the establishment of a ministry of environment. Currently, environmental issues are handled by a state Directorate for Protection of the Nature and Environment, an authority that is lower in rank than a ministry and does not have full representation in the government’s cabinet.

A stronger national authority for the environment could also help solve Croatia's other weaknesses in the area of environmental protection: Lack of financial sources for protection, scientific research and NGO activities; the non-existence of an environmental fund; and the dearth of incentive measures for environmentally sound technologies and products.