When five REC Head Office staff went to Croatia last October this is what we saw. We went to meet NGO activists and officials, to get a feeling for environmental activities and problems there, and to share information about REC services and programs. For us, it was clear from the beginning how the environmental circumstances in this war-torn country create challenges unlike those found anywhere else in Central and Eastern Europe.
Examples of Croatia's special problems are everywhere. In Osijek, northeastern Croatia, the municipal waste dump is in occupied territory. Now local authorities do not know where to put the city's refuse. To the west, near the front line around Pakrac, we traveled through bombed-out villages, where UN Protection Forces soldiers were the only sign of life.
Most of state-protected Krka National Park, situated along the Krka River near the coastal town of Sibenik, lies in occupied territory. Heavy fighting during past years destroyed much of the forests there. Large parts of the area are still covered with land mines. A water distribution facility, which the national government wants to build because the water supply from occupied territory is blocked, now threatens the park. The towns on the Croatian coastline face water problems, too. They are virtually held hostage to drinking water from rivers coming from occupied mountain areas up north.
Problems are organizational also. Much environmental activity in Croatia happens in Zagreb. NGOs from elsewhere spoke of their isolation from information, training, and attention. We saw that the more experienced NGOs from Zagreb have a challenging task ahead to create and strengthen the Croatian environmental movement.
There are signs of hope in Croatia. In the coastal town of Opatija, near Rijeka in the west, we visited one of the few NGOs with young people: Zmergo. We saw a wonderful exhibition about the natural beauty of Ucka mountain (on eastern Istria peninsula), which coincided with the yearly "Chestnut Festival," bringing many Croatian visitors. People signed a petition to make the Ucka mountain a protected area, which Zmergo will use to put more pressure on the responsible authorities.
On the last day in Zagreb, we met with NGOs to get feedback on the REC's activities in Croatia and to discuss our experiences from the trip so far. NGOs told us that economic problems, rebuilding the country, and restoring the tourist industry now draw most of the social and political attention in Croatia. This may be true. However, the enthusiasm we met in Croatia for facing its many environmental challenges assures us the environment has not been forgotten. The environmental workers in Croatia should be an inspiration to everyone doing work in less-trying circumstances.
Paul Kosterink, REC Local Office and Outreach Team