Despite restrictions on activities Lastovo nature park is supported by island’s residents

Scientists use park to explore new frontiers

The area encompassing the island of Lastovo and its neighbouring islands was declared a nature park by the Croatian parliament in 2006. The densely forested island, its fertile soil, the variations in the sea bottom of the surrounding Adriatic sea, the diversity of marine flora and fauna, and the rocks, reefs, and cliffs in the water were among the reasons that the area was accorded this designation.

The Lastovo archipelago comprises 46 islands, islets, and cliffs with a total area of some 200 sq. km of which about a quarter is land. The archipelago is located in the middle of the Adriatic four hours by ferry south of Split. Four of the islands are relatively large, Lastovo, Prezba, Mrcara, and Krucica. The geographic variation combined with the island’s relative isolation make it highly biodiverse, one of the most species-abundant areas in the Mediterranean, according to the WWF. The presence of meadows of Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica), a breeding ground, nursery, and habitat for many species of marine life contribute to this biodiversity. This richness is not confined to the water. On land too there is a profusion of plants, animals, and birds, including several migratory species.

Park contributes to EU targets for protection of nature

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity proposes to protect by 2030 at least 30 of land and seas of which one third should be strictly protected meaning undisturbed by human intervention (today only 3 of EU land and less than 1 of European MPAs are strictly protected). Following this, the European Commission

Alexandra Carol Horvat, Head Ranger, Lastovo Nature Park

plans to protect at least 30 of EU land and seas by 2030 to stop the decline in animal and plant species numbers and to restore carbon sinks. Nature parks like the one on Lastovo are the small steps that contribute to the realisation of the commission’s strategy. Alexandra Carol Horvat, the head ranger of the Lastovo Islands Nature Park, says that the ambitions of the commission’s targets mean that there are many no-take zones in the sea in the park area, which has an impact on the fishers in the short term. But if they can see over time that stocks are thriving, they may come to resent these restrictions less. The protected sea area forms a band around the coast and includes several shallow areas with sea grass meadows. The Lastovo island is also the site of island trapped waves, a derivation of coastal trapped waves, a well-known oceanographic phenomenon. These waves influence the transport of nutrients from the depths of the sea to the surface and are now the subject of study by scientists from an international consortium of institutions led by a professor from the biology department at the University of Zagreb. According to Ms Horvat, this upwellng is normally a seasonal occurrence but on Lastovo it happens on a daily basis and may partly explain the biodiversity and volume of marine life in the area.

Multiple roles played by the park administration

Management of the nature park is based on a management plan that stretches over a period of 10 years and among other measures also specifies the frequency and type of monitoring to be carried out. The plan is revised each decade and it also spawns an annual plan which governs the day-today operation of the nature park. Currently, the seagrass, birds, and bats are being monitored, says Ms Horvat, so we have scientists

Bruna Rizvanović, Sales and Marketing, Lastovo Nature Park

constantly coming to the island. The nature park also qualifies as a Natura 2000 area both for habitats and for birds. Agriculture is practiced on the island to supply the restaurants and households with crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, beans, olives, and grapes. The park’s administration is responsible for educating visitors and the resident population about nature and its protection. Keeping the park clean, maintaining the paths and other tourist infrastructure is also among the duties of the park administration, as is providing logistic support for the scientists working on projects in the park. Rangers are responsible for law enforcement too, which demands that they are out in the field most of the time keeping an eye on the park and the visitors. In summer this can be quite demanding as there are many visitors and Ms Horvat is therefore very glad for the support she gets from the local people. It reflects the bond that exists between the local population and the island, without which doing that job would be more difficult, she says.

In general, the type of tourist that visits Lastovo is interested in nature and the opportunities offered by the park to walk, cycle, go angling, or diving in attractive surroundings. These tourists appreciate nature and will usually try not to exert unnecessary impact on the environment. Permits for recreational and sport fishing, the latter is with spear guns, are issued by the park administration, while commercial fishing licenses are the preserve of the ministry of agriculture. Recreational and sports fishers are monitored by the rangers who check to see if they have permits, that they are using the prescribed fishing gear, that they are not exceeding the daily catch limits, that minimum size regulations are being observed, and that only permitted species for the period are being caught. Today the daily catch limit is 5 kg, but the park is considering reducing that to 3 kg.

Assisting efforts to rebuild noble pen shell stocks

Among the projects the park participates in is one to try and revive the stock of noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) a large clam, the population of which in the Mediterranean has been decimated by disease. Traps to capture pen shell larvae have been suspended from buoys in the water and at the end of the year these will be removed and studied to see if any larvae have been captured. In 2021, however, there were none. The study is based on the assumption that somewhere in the waters surrounding the island there may still be live pen shells. This clam favours seagrass meadows of which there are several in the area, so there may actually be some individuals present in the seagrass. In fact, until two or three years ago there were a number of pen shells in the sea, says Bruna Rizvanovi , a member of the park administration. When they spawn, the larvae are carried by the waves and could end up in the traps which have been placed in an area with strong currents. Traps were placed at 15 sites across the Adriatic and resulted in the capture of 15 larvae from three locations in 2020. These are now at the Pula Aquarium which has become a leading institution for maintaining young and adult individuals in quarantine under controlled conditions.

Effect of pandemic on tourism was relatively modest

Tourist arrivals on Lastovo were less affected by the pandemic falling by “only” 33 compared to the year before, while for the wider region the drop was 60. This illustrates the kind and the origin of the tourists who arrived on Lastovo. Ms Rizvanovi explains that they came mainly from Slovenia and other neighbouring countries by boat, while to Dubrovnik, a highly popular destination on the coastal mainland, tourists come by air or in cruise ships both of which were affected by the lockdowns. In normal years Lastovo attracts mainly Slovenians, Croatians, Germans, Italians, and Poles. The park is involved in different projects, for example it is part of a Fisheries Local Action Group that has applied for a vessel that the park will use to tackle emergencies at sea and removal of marine litter. Another project involves a variety of shearwater gull that lays its eggs in the crevices between rocks. The eggs were threatened by rats and the aim of the project was how to save the eggs. The solution was to trap the rats and remove them from the area. In the nature park fishing is highly regulated. Some gears such as purse seines and trawls are forbidden, while others such as nets or longlines are permitted but are subject to limits on the length or the number of hooks. The park administration had regular meetings with the fishers where the strictly protected zones and their location were discussed. The conclusion was that the park would not implement notake zones until a new regulation governing strictly protected zones was implemented by the ministry of environment. Striking a balance between nature protection and the interests of residents including fishermen calls for compromise on either side. Regular meetings are a way of finding mutually agreeable solutions that everyone can live with, and Lastovo shows how principles and pragmatism are not mutually exclusive.

Lastovo Nature Park

Trg sv. Petra 7 20290 Ubli Otok Lastovo

Tel.: +385 20 801 252 info@pp-lastovo.hr www.pp-lastovo.hr

Total area: 196 sq. km Sea surface: 143 sq. km Land area: 53 sq. km Islands, islets, cliffs: 46 Highest peak: 418 m

Head of the Department of

Natural and Cultural Heritage:

Jelena Matokovi Head Ranger: Alexandra Carol

Horvat