As a part of the Sava TIES project, three awareness raising events on invasive alien species were held in Croatia and Serbia in September and October. Two events were organized at Lonjsko polje Nature Park (Croatia) and one in Serbia (Special Nature Reserve Zasavica).

A multimedia educational exhibition Diverterra was held in the Repušnica Visitor Center at Lonjsko polje Nature Park from September 8 to 30, 2020. This interesting mobile exhibition contains multimedia content and didactic aids intended for children of preschool and primary school age. Through seven topics, the exhibition educates children about environmental protection, climate change, nature protection and biodiversity. Since the beginning of the year, the exhibition has traveled to various protected areas in Croatia. The Diverterra exhibition is a mobile component of the future Diverterra Information and Education Center, a project set up by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Nature of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. With the aim of raising public awareness about the Sava TIES project and the importance of transboundary management of invasive species, Lonjsko polje Nature Park has set up an exhibition on invasive species at the Repušnica Visitor Center.

Another event, the “Fungi weekend”, was organized on September 26 and 27 at the Repušnica Visitor Center. The mushroom festival was prepared by the Tourist Board of the City of Kutina, the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park Public Institution and the Center for Mushroom Research "Russula" Novska. The visitors had a chance to explore   a large exhibition of mushrooms and educational content on the biological diversity of Lonjsko polje and the importance of its preservation. The visitors of the Fungi weekend were informed about how the Sava TIES project relates to the fight against invasive species in protected areas in the Sava river basin. The presence of invasive species significantly affects the changes in habitats, and thus the biodiversity of fungi as well.

At the event in the Special Nature Reserve Zasavica participated the students of the Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura. The main goal of this event was to get acquainted with the invasive species of Zasavica and with active measures to protect biodiversity. The event took place on October 11, and on this occasion several presentations were held on the topic of invasive species and their importance, as well as on the invasive species located in the area of the reserve and different ways to implement active measures to protect the reserve’s biodiversity. The whole event concluded with the field visit to Zasavica where the participants got acquainted with the reserve’s invasive species and experimental polygons where invasive species are removed using mechanical and chemical methods.

News in national languages:

Croatia - Zeleni prsten Public Institution of Zagreb County or Lonjsko Polje Nature Park Public Institution 

Slovenia - Public Institution Ljubljansko barje Nature Park 

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Center for Environment or Public Company National Park "Una"

Serbia - Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province or Nature Conservation Movement Sremska Mitrovica or Public Enterprise „Vojvodinašume“

Germany - EuroNatur