Securing future of riparian tree species - Black Alder seed hunt in Croatia and Slovenia

If you thought that we were hibernating during this winter, think again ;-) Our intrepid seed hunters from the Croatian Forest Research Institute used this winter to collect Black Alder forest reproductive material (seeds and cones) from the previously selected plus trees in Croatia and Slovenia. Seeds were later extracted and deposited in the regional seed bank of riparian tree species which is hosted by the Croatian Forest Research Institute in Jastrebarsko (Croatia). Establishment of the regional seed bank of riparian tree species contributes to one of the main goals of REFOCuS project – to increase availability of quality forest reproductive material of most important riparian tree species. In this way REFOCuS contributes to securing future of endangered riparian forests in Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve.

Second partner meeting in Jastrebarsko

Project partners gathered for the two-day project meeting between 28 February and 1 March 2019 in Jastrebarsko at the premises of the Croatian Forest Research Institute. They discussed status of data collection, as well as ongoing and future project activities. Partners also visited the newly established regional seed bank for riparian tree species in the Institute. The bank is currently occupied by Black Alder seeds successfully collected in Croatia and Slovenia this winter. 

Friends or enemies? Identification of forestry and nature protection sectors goals in Mura-Drava-Danube BR

Second stakeholder workshop in Novi Sad was organised on 16-17 April 2019 at the premises of the ILFE, our Serbian project partner. The topic of the workshop was policy related issues affecting riparian forest management and conservation in the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve. Policy documents related to forest management and conservation in protected areas often overlap and are typically vaguely formulated. This usually creates confusion in interpretation and thus implementation as well as trigger conflicts between various stakeholders. In our case those are forest and nature conservation sectors, hunters, producers of forest reproduction material, civil society representatives who may hold different views on forest management and conservation goals. Aim of the workshop is identification and discussion of relevant policy-related (first day) and stakeholder-related (second day) issues and views concerning riparian forest management and conservation in project countries. This information will be included into one of the main outputs of the REFOCuS project, which are the common guidelines on riparian forests management and conservation agreed among stakeholders. The workshop was concluded with field trip to special nature reserve Kovilj-Petrovaradin Marshes.

You can see more pictures of the event in our gallery.

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