7/8 October 2006

Participation of the State Institute for Nature Protection in the Exhibition Autumn in Lika Held in Gospić

This year again the Entrepreneurship Development Centre of the County of Lika and Senj organized the eighth in a row exhibition of traditional products entitled Autumn in Lika. During 2 days the cultural and natural heritage of the county, accompanied by diverse foodstuffs, consumer goods and decorative products were presented, testifying to an outstanding beauty and great tourist potential of the area. At the event the national parks of Plitvice Lakes, Northern Velebit and Paklenica and the Velebit Nature Park presented their offer and the State Institute for Nature Protection informed the visitors about protected and threatened species of the area, actions implemented for the purpose of their conservation and the ways in which people may take part in the protection too. The visitors received lists of environmental and nature inspectors, lists of hunting inspectors, a list of court appointed exerts for the assessment of damage caused to livestock by protected predators including the contact information, bulletins of the project "Conservation and Management of Wolves in Croatia", two DVD documentaries about the wolf in Croatia, a booklet on Croatia's biodiversity and leaflets about the role of school in data collection and about the Croatian National Ecological Network. At the Institute's stand the red books of threatened freshwater fishes, amphibians and reptiles, of mammals and vascular flora of Croatia and the Red List of Threatened Animals and Plants of Croatia were available.

Large carnivores again rouse interest of most of the visitors, because due to their way of life they frequently enter into conflict situations with humans and cause frustration and rage. For want of knowledge they frighten most of the people, but inspire admiration and awe in almost everybody.