Dinara Nature Park to get headquarters in Kijevo

The youngest nature park in Croatia, Dinara, will get its headquarters in the municipality of Kijevo. The facility is expected to start operating early next year. Local residents expect the area to be revitalized.

At the foot of the mighty mountain massif, Ljubica Teskera offers accommodation to tourists. There has been work so far, and after the opening of the Nature Park headquarters, there will be even more.

“More guests will probably come, especially those from the east. They come to the parks, to look at these wonders. Especially this source of the Cetina River, which they see on the internet as an eye, it is exclusive, something special, and it really is special when you get to it,” described Ljubica Teskera, owner of a private accommodation in Kijevo.

The mountain itself was declared a Nature Park four years ago. But politics cannot determine the headquarters.

“For those of us who professionally deal with nature protection it is clear to us that nature is not the first priority, that there are things that are more important, but in this situation it really confuses us that there is no help for the local community, which should certainly have it as a policy priority,” claimed Ivan Budinski, senior expert associate for nature conservation at the Biom association.

But it was finally decided. According to a proposal for the decree on the establishment of the Dinara Nature Park Public Institution, which has just passed e-consultation, the Park's headquarters will be in Kijevo, and a branch office will be in Vrlika.

“We expect a complete revitalization of this area, we expect a demographic renewal, arrangement of land registers, motivation for our residents to open accommodation facilities, to develop and improve existing family farm business production,” said Martin Ercegovac, mayor of Kijevo municipality.

And all this in harmony with nature, because this terrain is home to numerous endemic species that need to be protected.

“We need to start acting as soon as possible because from the moment it was declared a nature reserve, it has become a designated place of interest for various visitors who, through no fault of their own, are not sufficiently educated on how to protect the area and the wildlife that can be found there,” warned Matko Jelić, co-author of the book 'Flora of Dinara'.

The institution, for which the people of Kiev have long secured space, should come to life at the beginning of next year. It will bring some new jobs, but also, everyone hopes, much-needed progress - in a sustainable way.

Source: HRT