Otter survey on Lika river is part of the Green Belt
Velebit Project - a joint Green Action and WWF initiative
for the long term conservation and rural development of
the large karst landscape system comprising the river
basins of Lika, Gacka and Krbava, the Velebit mountain
range and the sea channel where the system's underground
streams re-emerge. The goal of the project is to achieve
long term management of the natural and cultural resources
of the Velebit region, through the establishment of an
effective network of areas and natural corridors which
are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and by
supporting social, economic and cultural activities that
can lead to the sustainable development of this region.
One of the goals of the GBV Project is to conserve
priority animal and plant species that are included
in the Green Belt Velebit Action Plan formerly developed
as part of the GBV Project in collaboration with relevant
experts. Otters are recognized as one of GBV priority
species and in order to improve their protection we
would like to develop and implement an Otter Action
Plan. We have also chosen otter as a species for
this research because in the last few decades there
has not been systematic monitoring of the otters in
Croatia and only some information about the otter presence
at the particular rivers are available.
In Europe over the last century, but particularly during
the last decades, otters have undergone a major decline
throughout their range, and the species is now rare
or absent from a number of countries. According to Red
Data Book of the Republic of Croatia the otter (Lutra
lutra, Linnaeus, 1785) is in category DD or Data
Deficient, which means lack of sufficient data required
to assess the risk of extinction (population status
and distribution). The Eurasian otter is protected
in Croatia and by the Croatian Law for Nature Protection
(1994) penalty for hunting, killing or injuring the
otter is 30.000,00 HRK (about 4.000 €).
Otter is also protected under a number of international
legal and conservation agreements, including the Bern Convention
(Appendix II), The European Union Habitats Directive (Annex
II and Annex IV), The Washington Convention - CITES (Appendix
I) - which bans international trade in protected species,
and EU Wildlife Trade Regulation (regulation (EC) 338/97,
Annex A).
Due to the lack of recent scientific data on otters
in the GBV area (with exception of Zrmanja River)
otters were seen as extinct from Lika River area,
but local inhabitants (mainly fishermen) were often
reporting their presence during the last decade. This
has motivated us to make a survey camp and lecture
between 4-10 July 2005 in the village Donji Kosinj in
Lika valley in order to scientifically confirm otter
presence in Lika river and to educate local inhabitants
and nature lovers how to recognize and determine otter
presence. This way they would be able to continue with
the monitoring of otter population in this area and
collect valuble data that could further be used as basis
for new scientific researches and for improvement of
otter protection.
On the lecture and during the survey we had expert
guidance from Mrs. Marcela Roche (The Czech Otter Foundation
Fund) and Mrs. Milena Sijan (Croatian otter expert).
We had also received valuable help from the Association
of Students of Biology (BIUS) from the Faculty of Science
and from students and experts from Veterinarian Faculty.
Local NGO "Eko-Kosinj" gave us logistic support
in camp organizing.
We were very pleased when we found
otter tracks in the whole Lika river area and thus concluded
that otter indeed lives in Lika River Basin. Now
we have further plans for short autumn surveys of Gacka
and Una Rivers in the Green Belt Velebit region.
