The "Save grasslands - give spruces away" action has started!
- join in!! -

On Friday 27th October 2006. the remove of spruce sprouts from the Veliki Lubenovac grassland took place, as part of the pilot-project of grassland maintenance. The sprouts were digged out by the pupils of the High Forestry School from Otočac, accompanied by the Park's employees, as part of their field practice. Young spruces, digged out together with their roots, were then transplanted into the ditches close to the Park's HQ, specially designed for this occasion.

Our intention is to give away the spruce sprouts to all the eco-schools, local population of Krasno and the vicinity, but also to the citizens of Zagreb or anyone who shows interest. Thus, we will fulfill two goals at the same time - the sprouts which endanger the Veliki Lubenovac grassland will be removed, and these same sprouts will be distributed to the citizens who want and have the possibility and means to plant and grow them in their place, wherever that may be, or simply decorate their own, live Christmas tree.

The distribution of spruce sprouts will be held as part of the activities for the celebration of the International Mountains' Day, 11th December, on some public place in the city of Zagreb.

The action was jointly organized by the Northern Velebit National Park Public Institution, State Bureau For Nature Protection and the NGO Green Action, while the benefactor is the Ministry of Culture. The action was also aided by numerous other institutions. This page will be regularly updated with information about the progeress of the very action, as well as the exact programme of the activites for the celebration of the International Mountain Day.

More about grasslands and their origin

Seasoned cattle breeding was present for centuries on the Velebit grasslands. People from coastal settlements and Lika grazed their cattle during the short summer period on these grasslands, inhabiting high mountain areas in summer. They grazed cattle on disafforested surfaces, building small stone huts to accomodate themselves, as well as the cattle they grazed. These huts were known as "summer lodges". That is how most of the today's Velebit grasslands came to being, formed by te continuous influence of men and cattle. Grasslands were maintained by permanent grazing and scythe, which unawarely enhanced their biodiversity, forming new habitats for various plant, animal and fungi species.

Numerous debris of stone walls and summer lodges on the Mirovo valley

Seasoned cattle breeding diminshed almost entirely after the World War II. Therefore, the so-called succession process (the sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community) was imminent. In this particular case, grasslands are being replaced by spruce forest. This process, in its various manifestations, is present on almost all Park's grasslands.

Succession is clearly visible on most of the Park's grasslands

From the nature protection standpoint, grasslands are the true vault of biodiversity - they are inhabited by a much greater number of animal and plant species than, for example, forests. Furthermore, it is the grasslands that give northern Velebit this recognizable look as we know nowadays. Grasslands vanishing is therefore an irretrivable loss not only for numerous species, but also for people who come to visit Velebit, attracted by its remarquable landscape.

Numerous butterfly species are closely connected with grasslands.

Because of the above mentioned, the Park has started a pilot-project of maintaining of the Veliki Lubenovac grassland. Situated in the karst valley, on the very edge of the Hajdučki and Rožanski ledges strict reserve, is one of the most beautiful places in the Northern Velebit National Park. There were once more than 50 summer lodges on Veliki Lubenovac in the past, which debris are visible even nowadays. The surrounding spruce forest slowly "descends" from the surrounding slopes, gradually taking over the grassland. In orther to permanently preserve this valley, it is essential to remove all the spruce sprouts, but also to maintain the grasslands in the future by means of grazing and scythe.

Veliki Lubenovac in spring; Rožanski ledges in the back..