The first “Dinarides Protection Day” marked

Dinarides Protection Day — 7 October, was marked today with appropriate activities in numerous parks in all eight countries of the Dinaric Arc.

Aiming to point out the importance of the natural and cultural heritage of the Dinaric Arc countries, as well as the intertwining of natural wealth and cultural and historical values ​​of this very special area in Europe, Lake Skadar National Park, Nature Park Piva, Special Nature Reserve Tivat Saline (Montenegro), Una National Park (BiH), Pelister National Park (Northern Macedonia), Telašćica Nature Park and Zagreb County Green Ring Public Institution (Croatia), Tikvara Nature Park and Đerdap National Park (Serbia), Škocjan Caves Nature Park and Tivoli, Rožnik in Šišenski hrib Landscape Park (Slovenia), Shebenik-Jabllanica National Park (Albania) and Germia Park (Kosovo) organized activities on the occasion of this ecological date.

Lake Skadar National Park organized an educational workshop for about forty students from two elementary schools: the elementary school “Vladika Danilo” from Gornja Zeta and the elementary school “Milan Vukotić” from Golubovac. Workshop was held at the Visitor Center in Vranjina.

In addition, the Public Company for Marine Property Management, the manager of the special nature reserve Tivat Saline and the Nature Park Piva marked this day with a trip for the students of elementary school “Branko Brinić” from Radovići and a visit to the Nature Park Piva. The event was organized as part of the initiative of mutual visits of school-age children in order to introduce the protected areas of the Dinaric Arc, inform and educate children about the importance of protected areas in order to preserve rare plant and animal species and their habitats.

For the next period, as a continuation of this initiative, a return visit for children from Plužine to the Saline Nature Reserve in Tivat is planned.

Dinarides Protection Day was established in May this year at the General Assembly of Parks Dinarides — a network of protected areas of the Dinarides in the Blidinje Nature Park (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Every year on 7 October, by marking this new date in the ecological calendar, the natural values ​​of the Dinarides and the need to improve the protection of natural and cultural values ​​in the Dinarides will be pointed out.

The Dinarides (Dinaric Arc) are one of the largest mountain ranges in Europe, connecting eight countries of Southeast Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.

The name Dinarides (Dinaridi) comes from the name of the mountain Dinara, which is located on the border of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and which extends in the central part of the mountain range.

The Dinarides stretch in a northwest-southeast direction, about 650 km long along the Adriatic coast. The highest mountain massif of the Dinarides is Prokletije, with the top of Maja Jezerce (2694m).

According to its origin and structure, almost all Adriatic islands also belong to the Dinaric Arc and represent the former Dinaric elevations before sea level rise, i.e. the submerged part of the western Dinarides.

According to their structure, the mountains of the Dinaric Arc are of the limestone type, with many remnants of glaciation on the highest peaks. Therefore, they are eroded by the action of water, which is why they are characterized by numerous gorges, canyons and underground caves. The area is very rich in water, and rivers flow into two basins, the Adriatic and the Black Sea.

This unique relief, combined with climatic influences, over time has led to the formation of various types of vegetation. It is characterized by great biological diversity, with numerous endemic and relict species. The Mediterranean area, which partly leans on the Dinaric massif, is of special importance, as a “hot spot” of biodiversity on a global scale. On the other hand, the Balkan Peninsula and the Dinaric Massif are recognized as one of the important centers of biodiversity at the European level.

The area of ​​the Dinarides, as such, has long been recognized by people as a suitable place to live. There are many remains of earlier civilizations, as evidenced by numerous archaeological sites. From the Bronze Age, through ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Byzantium, the Venetian Republic, to the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary, peoples and cultures changed in the Dinarides over the centuries, building a rich history and tradition of this area. The rich cultural and historical heritage is still one of the main features of this area.