On May 22nd, the International Biodiversity Day, a large paper flower was made in Kupres karst polje, near river Mrtvica. The flower is known as wild narcissus and endemic to this part of the Dinarides. It was made to raise awareness of the richness of the karst fields of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The action was organized by the Center for Environment in cooperation with Dario Batinić, who is the initiator of the Visit Kupres platform and with the help of first grade of the Elementary School Fra Miroslav Džaja from Kupres and their teacher Mira Jonjić.
“This is the third in a series of paper actions we organized to promote karst fields and their specific species and endemics. Kupreško polje is the first in which flora was presented, after a bird and a fish in Livanjsko and Gatačko polje. We are especially glad that the first grade class was involved in making the paper flower. Whole class worked hard on making the flower and they embellished this event and helped to achieve the goal to promote the values of this area “, pointed out Milica Končar from the Center for Environment.
Kupres polje is one of more than 50 karst poljes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located at 1150 meters above sea level. It is a natural gem of our country, and its biodiversity is preserved as well as traditional mowing, which was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2020. Due to the high mountains and harsh winters, it is known for winter sports and winter tourism, but it is no less interesting during the rest of the year. Young and promising people from this region are working on the promotion of tourism. They created web platform Visit Kupres and who are currently implementing the action “Meet Kupres without snow”.
“We do our best to present Kupres in the best light and a location for everybody!” I want to invite everyone who is looking for a holiday in the mountains and away from the summer heat to come to Kupres this summer. Kupres has became a place where people are returning. Air at 1200 meters above sea level certainly has its special charms with the scents of flower fields. I am proud that we managed to realize this project and point out the importance of preserving karst fields, as well as their biological diversity. Wild narcissus cannot do without a field, just as a field cannot do without it. Kupres cannot do without its polje, and we cannot do without their beauty “, said Dario Batinić, the initiator of the Visit Kupres platform.
PHOTO: Svjetlana Panić
The action in Kupres field was realized within the project “Sustainable future for the freshwater ecosystem Livanjsko polje in Bosnia and Herzegovina” supported by the DIMFE Initiative and in partnership with the ornithological society Naše ptice and EuroNatur Foundation.
The process of making the flower you can watch in the video bellow: