Fifth National Report of the Republic of Croatia to the Convention on Biological Diversity Croatia, 2014 Executive summary mountain and coastal Croatia as well as the great diversity of terrestrial, marine and underground habitats have resulted in a wealth of species. The northern part of Croatia is characterized The Fifth Report (NR5) covers the period from 2009-2013, in lowland rivers with well-preserved willow-poplar gallery concentrating on the latest developments in conservation of forests and Common oak forests, wet grasslands and extensive biodiversity of the Republic of Croatia1. It should be mentioned marshes. that the main efforts of Croatia during the reporting period were concentrated on preparatory work for accession to The mountain karst area of Dinaric Alps is covered with the the European Union. Apart from harmonization of national beech and the mixed beech-fir forests that represent the legislation with EU acquis, the main activities of nature most western extensive forest complex in this part of the protection sector were related to preparation of ecological Europe, with significant populations of Brown bear, Wolf and network Natura 2000. For that purpose an extensive research Eurasian lynx. Karst area covers 46% of Croatian territory. Karst work was initiated, with focus on inventorying biodiversity and ecosystems represent the uniqueness and richness of global establishing the framework for monitoring. Republic of Croatia value and contain a high level of endemic taxa in underground acceded to the EU on 1st July 2013. The new Nature Protection habitats. Croatia has a great variability of terrestrial, water Act was adopted by Croatian parliament in June 2013 while the and interstitial underground habitats. So far, there are about Regulation on Ecological Network was adopted in September 7000 registered caves, but due to the intensification of 2013 by the Government of Croatia. research, significant increase of new discoveries is expected. As a part of Dinaric mountain range, which is characterized The Report is structured in three main parts. The first one by the highest diversity of cave fauna in the world, Croatian deals with an update of biodiversity status, trends and threats cave fauna, with a large number of endemic and relict species in the reporting period starting from 2009. Information is is extremely rich at European and global scale. The current extracted mainly from the Report on State of Nature of Republic number of terrestrial and aquatic cave invertebrates in of Croatia for the period 2008-2012 that was prepared by the Croatia exceeds 500, and about 70% of them are endemic. State Institute for Nature Protection (SINP) in 2013/14. During the process of accession to EU, Croatia proposed technical adaptations of Annex I of the Habitats Directive and The issue of ecosystem services, related to implications of accordingly, two additional habitat types have been included biodiversity for human well-being, has been introduced through which are characteristic for Dinaric karst area of Croatia and the implementation of the various projects and studies using neighboring non-EU countries: 6540 Sub-Mediterranean integrated approach to determine the relationship between grasslands of the Molinio-Hordeion secalini - humid grasslands biodiversity and ecosystem services and their values. Recent found alongside karstic rivers and in karstic fields (poljes) of Study for Freshwater Ecosystem Services was conducted the Dinaric Alps and 32A0 Tufa cascades of karstic rivers of the within the GEF/UNDP project National Biodiversity Planning to Dinaric Alps, including tufa-creating river communities and Support the Implementation of the CBD 2011-2020 Strategic tufa-creating vegetation on river cascades. Karst mountains Plan in Croatia (2012 - 2014). Demonstration of the benefits creating the border towards the coastal Croatia comprise the and values of freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity at a high rate of so-called “tertiary relicts”, many of them being national level were included through freshwater ecosystems endemics. Apart from underground endemics, the high level valuation study in the Danube basin, with the overall aim of endemism of coastal Croatia is connected to the chain of to strengthen the link between biodiversity of freshwater islands. Coastal Croatia is rich with open grasslands and with ecosystems and human well-being and their contribution to shrub vegetation like garrigue and maquis. Mature forests are economic development. represented in smaller fragments of the Holm oak and Downy oak. The Adriatic Sea is rich with sea grass meadows, mostly of The second part of NR5 analyses the implementation of Posidonia oceanica. The sea bottom along the eastern Adriatic the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan from 2008 coast is rocky while offshore is mostly flat with sediments (NBSAP 2008) on the level of individual strategic guidelines. and coralligenous concretions along the islands. Almost The third part of the NR5 gives an overview of contribution of the whole eastern Adriatic coast is rocky, forming so-called Croatia to the achievement of 2020 Aichi Targets. Dalmatian type of the coast. There are specific habitat types of submerged karst that are characteristic for Eastern Adriatic like vruljas (submerged freshwater springs), karstic estuaries, I. An update on biodiversity status, trends marine lakes, deep circalittoral hard bottoms (bare karst), and threats anchihaline caves, marine caves and descending caves with bathyal elements. Ecosystems and habitats Forests are the most widespread terrestrial ecosystem in Croatia, covering almost a half of Croatian territory with Comparing to its relatively small area of 56,594 km², Croatia more than 100 forest plant communities. Generally, forests is endowed with exceptional richness and diversity of species are considered to be near-natural and in good state. Even and habitats. Geomorphologic differences between lowland, 95% of forest vegetation is in its natural composition, which is rare and extremely valuable at both European and global 1) Republic of Croatia has submitted its Fourth National Report to the level. The largest complexes of mountain beech-fir forests Convention on Biological Diversity (NR4) in 2009. i are distributed over 200,000 ha of western Dinarides while included on the national Red list out of 2954 evaluated. lowland complexes of Pedunculate oak forests can be found Population trends and changes of status of individual species in the Sava River basin, covering more than 200,000 ha. are still not known but will be available upon revision of red Almost all forest habitats in Croatia, covering cca 64% of all lists, using recent IUCN methodology. The biggest threat to forest area belong to Natura 2000 habitat types2. In principle, wild species in Croatia which affects 53.5% of assessed species only sub-Mediterranean forests of the Pubescent oak are not is posed by direct destruction of their habitats (DT7 according included. Some habitats cover major areas, such as the beech to IUCN Threats Classification Scheme). Natural habitats are forests or oak forests. Beech forests are generally considered being transformed into construction land or agricultural land. to be in good condition and are not facing degradation, while Although the construction of roads and other transport routes Pedunculate oak forests are extremely sensitive to change of results in habitat fragmentation, potential threats to large ecological conditions because of their dependence on water carnivores from highway construction have been reduced regime. During the last decade there is significant decrease in through the construction of green bridges, serving as animal area of old forest stands of oak forests. corridors. On the other hand, due to the decay of traditional, low-productivity agriculture, previous large surfaces of pastures Today habitats in Croatia are mainly threatened by different and meadows are turning into thicket, with their biodiversity anthropogenic activities. On the other hand, ceasing of certain disappearing. Water management interventions are changing human activities like mowing or grazing can also have negative the natural water regime of watercourses, which results in effect, resulting in natural succession, changes of ecological the degradation of wetland habitats with high economic and conditions and disappearance of species. Succession is also a biological value, such as floodplain forests of Pedunculate oak. threat to wetland habitats which require active management. The introduction of alien species, some of which are turning into Regulation of watercourses and changes in water regime is one invasive ones, also represents a major threat to wild species. of the biggest threats to all water-dependent habitat types - like Excessive use through commercial harvesting of plants and river gravel, sand and mud shores; natural steep river banks; fungi, or through fishing, exposes the populations of a number tufa cascades of karstic rivers; all types of wet grasslands and of wild species to danger. Intensive agriculture and tourism, forests. Coastal habitats are under the strong pressure from pollution of water, soil and air, as well as poaching, constitute building and tourism-related activities. The most threatened significant threats to wild species of Croatia. In addition, are sand and pebble beaches which are rare since 92% of one should also not disregard the impact of climate change, Croatian coast is rocky, as well as mudflats