In light of the fire that has been raging in the vicinity of Višegrad for two months and now threatens to engulf Veliki Stolac, the second-largest site and habitat of the Serbian Spruce, we appeal to all relevant authorities, organisations, and individuals who can help to mobilise all units capable of taking action (local, entity, state, international) and together save our only and unique wooden beauty, Pančićeva omorika, from extinction, says the Center for Environment.
“If the fire reaches Veliki Stolac, the survival of Pančićeva omorika is in jeopardy. The site where it grows is sparsely populated, with very few available people in forestry and the local fire brigade. Given the extent of the fire and the inaccessibility of the terrain, a much larger human force is needed. In addition to foresters and firefighters, all existing resources need to be mobilised: police, army, and all other trained individuals and organisations that can assist the few heroes who have been battling the fire for days,” emphasised Aleksandra Anja Dragomirović from the Biodiversity and Protected Areas program at the Center for Environment.
Certain measures have already been taken, and the first to bear the brunt are local forestry employees who are tirelessly trying to suppress the fire day and night. They are already tired and have limited human capacity. Assistance has arrived from the Helicopter Service of Republika Srpska, but despite all efforts, the fire continues to pose a threat.
“In almost all news programs on all television channels, we daily hear and see news about natural disasters around the planet Earth. Some disasters we follow to the smallest detail, while we do not notice, buried in all other information, that this natural phenomenon is disappearing before our eyes in our country, and we live in the 21st century with all possible technological achievements at our disposal. It is truly essential for everyone who can contribute to the suppression of this fire disaster to get involved and help,” emphasised Aleksandra Anja Dragomirović.
Pančićeva omorika is an endemic tree species that grows in the most inaccessible terrains and on a very small area, making it the last tree species discovered in Europe (by the eminent naturalist Josif Pančić). Perhaps the last discovered as a species, but on the other hand, it is the oldest tree in Europe. It inhabited the steep cliffs of Podrinje long before people settled in these areas. It has silently witnessed all our ups and downs, wars, births, and celebrations, and therefore, contribute to making this appeal the top news in our media, before fires in California and floods in Germany!
