Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia

Transcription

1 Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia by Gwilym Wren and Trevor Phelps for EuCAN CiC October 2017 EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 1

2 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Summary 3. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia 4. The Institute of Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province, Novi Sad 5. Nature Protection in Vojvodina 5.1 Types of Protected Area 5.2 Protected Areas in Vojvodina 5.3 Protected Area Selection and Management in Vojvodina 6. Site Visits 6.1 Rimski Sanac (Roman Trench) 6.2 Nature Park Jegricka 6.3 Special Nature Reserve Slano Kopovo 6.4 Nature Park Rusanda 6.5 Shelterbelt near Temerin 6.6 Fruska Gora National Park 7. Opportunities 8. Conclusion 9. Acknowledgements and thanks. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 2

3 1. Introduction EuCAN CiC is a UK based not for profit NGO which organises and promotes conservation work and volunteering in the UK and Europe. It was established in 2011 and has organised volunteers to work in France, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Spain, Romania and Estonia. In recent years EuCAN has also organised wildlife holidays in France and Hungary. Gwilym Wren is a founding Director of EuCAN and worked for nearly 30 years in UK Government nature conservation organisations. In recent years he has participated in workshops looking into Sustainability in Wetland Areas and coordinated workshops discussing Sustainable Forestry. He has also visited Croatia, Poland, Serbia and the Ukraine to seek out collaboration opportunities for EuCAN. Trevor Phelps is also active in organising nature conservation activities in and around his home village in the UK. Along with Gwilym Wren he was a founder member of the Milverton Conservation Volunteers which is one of EuCAN s UK groups. Trevor also coordinates UK participants to the BIOM Bird Ringing Camp in Učka, Croatia. In May 2013 Gwilym Wren visited Serbia to investigate potential projects for EuCAN CiC to be involved in. He visited the areas around Zaječar and Zrenjanjn and concluded that whilst there was considerable potential for projects associated with nature conservation there were nevertheless significant practical difficulties associated with distance and the fact that Serbia was outside the EU. Gwilym visited Serbia again in 2016 and helped organise a Forestry Workshop in the Tara National Park. Again it was clear that Serbia was a beautiful country with huge reserves of natural capital. In discussions with colleagues at the Workshop he was made aware of the difficulties associated with conserving nature particularly in the intensively farmed areas in the Province of Vojvodina. As well as difficulties with integrating nature conservation into an intensively farmed landscape it also became apparent that the land outside protected areas was having problems with wind erosion, drought, pesticides, pollution and invasive species and that these were also impacting on the nature areas as well. At the invitation of the Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province (the Institute) Gwilym and Trevor Phelps, travelled to Vojvodina in October 2017 to visit some important nature conservation sites, meet conservation practitioners and site managers to discuss and better understand these issues. They also wished to investigate the possibility of collaboration between EuCAN and the Institute through the possibilities of a working holiday and/or a Study Tour/Information Exchange to look at how the various issues were being managed and debate potential solutions. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 3

4 2. Summary On behalf of EuCAN CiC Gwilym Wren and Trevor Phelps visited the Institute at Novi Sad in October 2017 to establish contacts and visit various protected sites to see what opportunities there were for collaborative working. The Institute was most welcoming and they were taken to five separate sites to look at a variety of environmental and nature conservation issues including soil management and erosion, drought, climate change, sustainable land management, habitat re-creation and invasive species, as well as land use conflicts with agriculture and forestry. They were also given a tour of the Institute and an insight into how nature protection works in this part of Serbia. This included a detailed account of how sites are designated for protection and how that protection is carried through in practice. They were also shown how the Institute is trying to join up Protected Sites into a network of ecological corridors across Vojvodina in order to reduce habitat and species fragmentation. They concluded that there were several opportunities for future cooperation between EuCAN and the Institute. The Rimski Sanac (Roman Trench) is a linear feature of great archaeological and conservation value which does need some positive management and scrub control. They were also told of (but did not visit) a network of remains of wooded steppe fragments between Backa Topola and Subotica where lepidoptera, plants and other insects were under recorded. This is an area of expertise for EuCAN and could potentially form the basis of a working holiday in combination with scrub clearance on Rimski Sanac. In addition there are also many sites in Vojvodina with varied habitats and species which could also be of interest to a wildlife holiday group. Overall it was a most interesting trip but perhaps the most striking aspects of visiting the Institute were the close parallels and similarities with the former UK bodies the Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature. The Institute is strongly science led and has clear and coherent criteria and processes for site selection and designation of Protected Sites including prescribing management and zoning areas for non intervention. There are important differences however, and while the Institute can give an opinion on the bodies nominated by Government to manage sites it does not own or manage any itself it and so has to work with the nominated body. That said the policy and legal framework that the Institute has to work within is adequate, but of course subject to the decisions of national and sub-national governments. 3. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia (Courtesy Wikipedia) Vojvodina is officially known as the Autonomous Province (AP) of Vojvodina. It is an autonomous province of Serbia, located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonian Plain. Novi Sad is the largest city and administrative centre and is the second-largest city in Serbia. The Province has a population of almost 2 million It has a multi-ethnic and multicultural identity with some 26 ethnic groups. Five languages are in official use by the provincial administration. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 4

5 Vojvodina lies in the northern quarter of Serbia, in the southeast part of the Pannonian Plain which remained after the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. As a consequence of this, Vojvodina is rich in fertile loamy loess soil, covered with a layer of very fertile chernozem soil. The region is divided by the Danube and Tisa rivers and has a total surface area of 21,506 sq km (8,300 sq miles). Vojvodina is also part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa euroregion. The Gudurica peak on the Vršac Mountains close to the border with Romania is the highest point in Vojvodina, at an altitude of 641 m above sea level. 4. The Institute of Nature Conservation of Vojvodine Province, Novi Sad The Institute was established to undertake work in accordance with Public Service Regulations. It operates under the Acts of Protection of Nature and Natural Resources as determined by the Law of Nature Conservation ( Official Gazette or the Republic of Serbia No. 36/2009, 88/2010, 91/2010) and the Provincial Assembly decision on the establishment of the Institute for Nature Conservation (Official Gazette of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, No. 2/2010) and the Statute of the Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province ( Official Gazette of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, No. 9/2010). The Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province works within the territory of AP Vojvodina and its activities are conducted under the provisions of the articles 102, 103 and 104 of the Law of Nature Conservation, as well as the Statute of The Institute. For the purposes of the Institute Work of Nature Conservation refers to: The collection and processing of data about nature and natural values; Monitoring the current condition of nature conservation and the degree of vulnerability of geoheritage, wildlife species and their habitats, habitat types, ecosystems, ecologically significant areas, protected areas, ecological corridors, ecological networks and regions; Preparation of studies to determine the value of areas suggested for protection and proposals for their management; Preparation of proposals for the protection of undesignated areas. Preparation of proposals for the removal of area protection; Setting out the conditions for works on protected natural resources and advising on proposals for protected area management; Providing expert supervision of the protected natural resources; Offering expert assistance to the managers of protected natural resources, local government bodies, citizens associations and groups and individuals for protected nature areas, regions and natural resources; Determining the conditions and measures for protection of nature and natural values through the process of preparing and implementing spatial and urban plans, project documents, buildings and infrastructure programmes and strategies where there will be an impact on wildlife and nature, Assessing the acceptability of works and activities in the natural environment during the preparation and implementation of projects and programmes in protected areas; EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 5

6 Proposing the scope and content of feasibility studies and estimating the influence on the environment of reintroductions and settlement of the species in the natural environment; Keeping records of populations and trends of endangered, threatened, protected and strictly protected wild species; Participating in the facilitation of public access to promote protected natural resources; Organising and delivering educational and promotional activities relating to nature conservation by designing and organising exhibitions, thematic discussions, seminars, lectures and issuing publications and other public media output; Participating in the implementation of ratified international nature conservation agreements; Maintaining a registry of protected natural resources and other data significant for nature conservation; Maintaining an inventory of geological, biological and regional diversity with statistical analyses and reports about their condition; Maintaining a database of nature protection as a part of the unique information system of the Agency for Nature Conservation; Informing the public about natural values, nature conservation, its vulnerability, and the consequences of that endangerment; Performing other activities as determined by the law. (For more information please visit ) 5. Nature Protection in Vojvodina 5.1 Types of Protected Area Protected Areas in Serbia are defined as areas which have distinct geological, biological, ecosystem and/or regional diversity which are proclaimed by the Nature Protection Act to be areas of public interest. Protected areas are: National Park, Special Nature Reserve, Strict Nature Reserve, Region of Exceptional Characteristics, Nature Park. Protected Habitat, Natural Monument, 5.2 Protected Areas in Vojvodina In AP Vojvodina there are 132 conserved natural resources under protection, which is 5.47% of the total area of Vojvodina. Out of 132 conserved natural resources in Vojvodina, the following are within the remit of the Institute: 1 National Park, 15 Specialised Nature Reserves, 8 Strict Nature Reserves, EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 6

7 2 Regions with exceptional characteristics, 9 Nature Parks, 2 Conserved Habitats, 50 Natural monuments, 1 Scientific Research Reserve*, 3 Regional Nature Parks*, 1 Forest Park*, 3 Memorial Natural Monuments*, 6 Monuments of Garden Architecture*, * areas designated on the basis of earlier legislation, most are under revision 5.3 Protected Area Selection and Management in Vojvodina Anyone can request that an area of land be designated for protection. Once a request is received the Institute is obliged to publish an opinion, within 30 days, on whether the area should be put forward for protection or not. If the proposed site is considered to have characteristics for Protected Area designation as defined in Law on Nature Conservation (see here ), the Institute agrees to the request and the proposed valorisation procedure is added to the Work Plan and is funded. The first step is to produce a Conservation Study which will form the basis of future management. This Study is in a prescribed form and must include sections on Category, International Significance, Location, Area, Basic Value, Biodiversity etc. For the short abstract see the Fruska Gora example here. Once complete it is put out for public consultation and proposed for Protected Area designation at national, subnational and municipality level.. As part of the Conservation Study process sites are zoned according to interest and fragility. As defined in the above-linked Law, Zone I is a complete non intervention zone, thus conserving original or slightly changed ecosystems. Zone II covers partially changed ecosystems allowing sustainable resource management aligned with habitat types. Zone III is a sustainable resource management zone covering partially changed and/or changed ecosystems, which are proactively managed. Due to the varied nature of sites and the management required it is not always necessary for all the three zones to be present. Site designation is the responsibility of Government (Local, Regional or National Government) who also nominate a Site Manager. This is normally a owner or occupier with a local presence for example a state company, a private company or a local community. Although responsible for the management of the sites, Site Managers are not always knowledgeable so it is important that the Conservation Study is as detailed as possible. As a result designation, consultation and reaching agreement over management arrangements can be time consuming, sometimes up to three years. The appointed Site Manager is in charge of supervising all activities within the the three zone types. There is also fourth buffer zone which surrounds the protected area but does not EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 7

8 form part of it, but where industry, light-pollution or other source of disturbance are restricted or controlled in forward planning (spatial plans, sectoral plans eg water regulations). More details about nature protection in Vojvodina and some of the Protected Areas can be found on the Institute website 6. Site Visits 6.1 Rimski Sanac (Roman Trench) Rimski Sanac is a military earthwork consisting of a defensive wall fronted by a trench that runs for almost 24km between Curug and Pejicevi salasi. The trench is a remnant of a long defensive earthwork built around 270 AD and contains some of the best examples of secondary loess steppic vegetation in South East Europe. View of south east side from adjacent farm track. The trench rises from the flat plain as a long straight ridge approximately 6m high and 40m wide and crosses an extensive area of arable land. The south eastern bank is mainly grassland vegetation but the other side and trench are becoming scrubbed up. This is possibly because the northern face and the ditch hold moisture longer than the southern face. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 8

9 This is clearly an important feature for both historical and conservation reasons and it is in the process of being evaluated for official protection. The local ambition is to manage the Trench better and if possible restore some limited grazing and create a buffer to the farmland on the northern side. Grazing however, will be problematic because of the narrow nature of the feature and the surrounding cropped area. Any local farmer willing to graze his cattle will have to have electric fencing along both sides which would require the approval of the Site Manager and be noted in the cadaster. Current legal restrictions prevent the Institute from making 'positive' payments to encourage management like this, which means that other solutions are needed at least until legal changes are made. The ambition to create a buffer will also be difficult to realise because the neighbouring landowners are unlikely to want to surrender a 10m strip of arable land. View south west along Trench showing grassy south eastern slope and scrubby north western slope and ditch. However, manual clearance of scrub could be of benefit and this is something that EuCAN could offer to help with. A more detailed explanation of the history of the Trench and its vegetation in can be found here. 6.2 Nature Park Jegricka The River Jegricka is a 65 km tributary of the Tisa which runs from west to east across the Southern Balkan Loess terrace. The watercourse has been improved and joins up a series EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 9

10 of marshes along its course ha of these unimproved marshy areas close to the river were designated as Nature Park Jegricka in Although narrow, the river corridor supports 20 species of fish and 200 species of birds. Additionally it is a stronghold of the the European Pond Turtle as well as numerous frogs and snakes. There is a more detailed description of the Nature Park and its wildlife here. Nature Park Jegricka Walkway EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 10

11 We visited a small centre where school children can visit and stay overnight. There is accommodation within an open plan shed although there is ample space for camping and a covered eating area. There are numerous fishing platforms and an electric boat to explore the waterway. A warden lives on site. More comfortable accommodation is available at a hotel/restaurant within 200m. 6.3 Special Nature Reserve Slano Kopovo The third site visited was Slano Kopavo which was designated in The reserve occupies 976 ha of and its principal feature is a salt lake formed in a former meander of the River Tisa. It supports 210 species of birds (72 breeding) and 25 species of mammal. It is a Ramsar site and also an Important Plant and Bird Area. An English translation of the natural values stated in the Conservation Study of the area can be found here. The site is designated in three zones Zone I has the strictest protection with almost no activities allowed; Zone II allows some management and Zone III is a sustainable resource management zone. A map of the site and the management Zones can be found here. We walked to the lake across Zone II from the north west which mostly comprise natural pastures (ie not created by man's activities). These are part of the Pannonian Grassland Plain which has existed for thousands of years. Although not especially species rich the saline grassland is nevertheless a rare habitat which is grazed by cattle in the summer months. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 11

12 Slano Kopovo Zone II Salt Pasture with the Dried Salt Lake in the Distance The centrepiece of the Reserve is the salt lake itself. Unfortunately, due to a hot summer, it was completely dry on our visit (18 th October 2017) which is of considerable concern to the site manager. Normally it starts to refill in the autumn and by November plays host to thousands of migrating birds including over cranes. It is not at all certain whether the lake will be filled in time this year. Dried Salt Crust over Lake Mud at Slano Kopovo The surplus of N and P compounds from adjacent arable fields is allowing the encroachment of reedbeds into the pastures and the lake fringes which are altering the habitat balance and threatening the saline wetlands across the Province. This is not just an issue for the saline marshes but is producing an unfortunate conflict with ornithologists because the establishing reedbed edges are ideal for breeding bluethroat and they do not want to see the reeds diminished. However, encroaching reeds are already reducing the lake and pasture areas. 6.4 Nature Park Rusanda Lake Rusanda (Jezero Rusanda) was designated in 2014 and is another highly saline, shallow wetland. The lake surface is 400ha and it is surrounded by 2500 ha of Pannonian EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 12

13 Grassland. A spa is established on the south eastern bank which uses mud from the lake which is highly valued for its therapeutic properties. The grassland is communal pasture for the village of Kumane. The most important habitats are the salt lake and the salt steppes and pasture. However as the pasture needs grazing there is no Zone I level of protection within the Park.. The main area is surrounded by a wide transition zone to protect the open flat grassland landscape. More details about Nature Park Rusanda including the zoning can be found here. View towards the Dried Up Lake Rusanda Like Slano Kopovo the lake has dried out over the summer and all that was visible was the salt crust. In normal times it is an Important Bird Area supporting about 230 species. We met a representative of the site manager who is a local farmer and Chair of the Common Pasture Committee. He was very enthusiastic about the designation as a Nature Park which covers the lake and 85% of the grassland owned by the local community. He is very keen for the remaining 15% of this grassland to be designated as this would prevent arabilisation and protect the communal farming system. He explained that he had organised the local farmers of Kumane to graze the pasture and this was working extremely well. Cattle Grazing the Salt Pastures at Nature Park Rusanda EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 13

14 There are about 380 farming families in the Kumane area who own approximately 4000 cattle between them. Of these 2000 graze the grassland for 8 months of the year and the remainder are housed and fed hay from the pastures. All the cows get some supplements (eg barley, maize). The grazed cattle are herded across the plain and returned to the farms at night. They are milked night and morning producing top quality milk with 5% butterfat which is sold at 0.25/lit. Although not formally designated as such it is to all intents and purposes an organic system which brings in 300k per month to the local farming community. The Committee has helped establish a milk collection point within the village and the milk is sold to 6 dairies. As described this is a particularly sustainable farming system which benefits the people, the environment and the local economy. Nature Park Rusada is part of an ecological corridor with Slano Kopovo at the northern end and another salt lake, Special Nature Reserve Okanj Bara, to the south. The only break is a canal south of Slano Kopovo. 6.5 Shelter Belt near Temerin One of the major land management challenges in this flat largely arable landscape is how to avoid wind erosion. The annual rainfall is approximately 50cm (20 inches) and summers can be very hot and dry. Erosion from agricultural operations In past times the area used to have many hedges which helped protect the soil, however with the advent of modern machinery these have been largely grubbed up and only remnants remain. Efforts are being made to plant shelterbelts particularly along the roads but the trees of choice tend to be the highly invasive Black Locust/ False Acacia (Robinia seudoacacia) or Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). These non-native species are already ubiquitous in Vojvodina and are a major nature conservation issue. There are local species which could be used but they do not grow as fast or establish so well. The non-natives however have a 100% establishment rate which is important because planting grants reward early establishment and failure to establish can lead to the grants having to be re-paid. An added EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 14

15 complication is pressure from a strong local nursery trade which grows the exotic species and is keen to retain and promote that market. Shelter belt alongside local public road. There is also the issue that farmers are reluctant to grow trees on their arable land meaning that shelterbelts tend to be planted alongside roads which are not always the optimum locations, and bring other problems such as the increased risk of collisions with wild animals like deer. There is also often pressure to plant them on protected grassland areas which are seen as less valuable. To to be effective, shelterbelts have to be buffered, of the right width and ideally consist of local native species but this can difficult to achieve. However, erosion is an urgent and increasing problem as it is estimated that the wind can remove up to 2 tonnes/ha/annum from bare arable land. It is therefore in the interest of all parties to come up with a sustainable way forward. Many European countries are experiencing similar issues and reports are emerging which warn of the critical impacts of loss of soil and fertility on future food security. 6.6 Fruska Gora National Park On the second afternoon we were taken to the Fruska Gora National Park south of Novi Sad. It lies broadly on a ridge that runs for 78 km across the south of the Pannonian Plain. EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 15

16 The ridge is between 10 and 15 km wide and is 539m at its highest point. The Park area is ha. More information about Fruska Gora National Park can be found here. Frushka Gora National Park Fruska Gora is of international importance for its geological and fossil records of the Pannonian-Carpathian Basin and is home to 1400 plant species (including 30 orchidaceae ), 23 species of reptiles and amphibians, 200 species of birds and 60 species of mammals. 90% of the Park is wooded with 30% being Linden (Lime). The area also has a rich cultural heritage and many monasteries were established in the 15 th and 16 th centuries containing a wealth of art, architecture and other treasures. The first site we visited was an area that had been cleared of secondary forest-steppe to allow cattle grazing. The main purpose is to restore habitat for the Imperial Eagle ( Aquila heliaca). There is only one pair left in Serbia and the decline has been attributed to habitat EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 16

17 Reintroduced Cattle Grazing on Cleared Ground loss reducing prey and nest sites. It prefers open country with isolated trees and copses for nesting and its main prey species are hare and ground squirrel which also favour open land. The work was undertaken about three years ago and cattle grazing has been reintroduced. A grass sward suitable for grazing and small mammals is now well established and Ground Squirrel has re-colonised the area. The eagles are still moving around the area and it is hoped that this will bring them long term stability. Our last visit was to the woods on the ridge where we saw closed canopy Lime/Oak/Beech woodland. The area is well used by the public and as with other sites we visited there are three Zones of Protection. Zone I has no management although it is difficult to keep the public out. Zone II allows some management for forestry purposes and we were interested to see that this included the cutting of mature ivy to protect timber trees. 7. Opportunities As well as seeing nature sites and understanding how they were protected one of the aims of the visit was to see whether Serbia offered any opportunities for collaborative working between EuCAN and local institutions. EuCAN s expertise lies in bringing people to little known areas of Europe to either carry out voluntary work, take a vacation or study and exchange information and experiences; Vojvodina offers opportunities for all three. At Rimski Sanac manual clearance of scrub is needed before grazing can be introduced. EuCAN could potentially offer to bring volunteer groups to work on the site for an initial 1-2 EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 17

18 year project. This could have the joint aims of clearing some scrub and instigating grazing but also promoting the potential of the Trench as a tourism resource for wildlife, bicycle or horse riding holidays. Nature Park Jegricka is close by. Open wetland habitat restoration is one of Serbia s emerging nature conservation issues and the Institute would be interested in discussing cooperation with EuCAN in relation to local sites such as Nature Park Jegricka. EuCAN could also offer training in methods of grassland and lepidoptera monitoring to help support the protection and promotion of the area in cooperation with the Institute and local NGOs. The area offers the possibility of wildlife surveying to facilitate the establishment of wildlife corridors and it may even be possible to coordinate activities across the border with Hungarian contacts, although the refugee crisis may make this impractical. Vojvodina also offers the possibility for a Study Tour to look at sustainability and how farming and wildlife land management is integrated. Many of the issues that were seen and discussed are common to the UK and many European countries. Given the continued concerns about soil health and fertility and well documented declines in wildlife, Vojvodina would seem to offer an excellent opportunity to discuss issues, share experiences and suggest sustainable solutions. The grazing regime at Kumane, for example, offers an excellent example of adapting management to the available resources for public economic and environmental benefit. EuCAN could facilitate the transfer of extensive knowledge and long term experience in the protection and development of hedgerows, shelterbelts and field margins. The huge variety of wildlife and cultural attractions in the Fruska Gora National Park make it a potential base for a wildlife holiday although a further visit would be required for a detailed survey of potential sites and accommodation. However before proceeding there would also have to be discussions about support for any project including the provision of tools, transport and accommodation. The campsite and nearby Hotel/Restaurant at Nature Park Jegricka north of Temerin offer potential as a base for either a working group or a holiday group as they are about 5km from Rimski Sanac and about 25km from Slano Kopova and Lake Rusanda. The nearest junction to the A1/E75 Budapest-Novi Sad motorway is about 15 km away. 8. Conclusion Although it was a short visit a great deal was packed into two days. The site visits were varied and interesting and it is clear that there is a considerable wildlife and environmental resource in Vojvodina. From the open steppe pastures to the extremely rich Fruska Gora ridge, Vojvodina has many habitats and species which the Institute for Nature is working hard to conserve. A lot of effort is required to integrate the needs of food production in this fertile region with the wider environmental needs of the indigenous wildlife, the preservation of rare habitats, the EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 18

19 protection of soil resources and adaptation to climate change. There were some excellent examples of land management co-operation but also a realisation that more needs to be done to join up farming, forestry and wildlife interests particularly at a national and regional Government policy level. It is to be hoped that this report will help initiate conversations between the Institute, Protected Site Managers and farmers and lead to future co-operation and collaboration between EuCAN and its friends at the Institute. 9. Acknowledgements and thanks Gwilym and Trevor would like to acknowledge the kind help and assistance provided by Alen Kis, Marko Dapić and Klara Szabados. They also wish to thank the Institute and its Director, for providing them with hospitality, accommodation and transport and providing a fascinating and worthwhile visit. They are most grateful. Gwilym Wren and Trevor Phelps EuCAN CiC November 2017 EuCAN CiC Study Tour to Vojvodina Province, Serbia October 2017 Final Report 19