Eco Hvar

ECO HVAR: AIMS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE CHARITY

Environment

Eco Hvar's aims for environmental protection, and related articles.

maria lidija

Health

Eco Hvar's ideas for encouraging positive health, plus related articles

Animals

Eco Hvar's aims for protecting animals and improving animal welfare, plus related articles

Save Hvar's Cats!

03 May 2021 Category: Animals

Eco Hvar has come up with a possible solution to the problem of cat killings. Seeing cats tortured to death by poison or other methods is a tragedy for animal-lovers on Hvar Island, and indeed all round Croatia. The law to protect animals from harm exists, but does not function efficiently.

Starigrad Plain: Our Survey

28 February 2019 Category: Environment

The results from our survey about land usage on the Starigrad Plain (Hora, Ager). The survey was conducted on behalf of LAG Škoji (Local Action Group), Eco Hvar and the Agency for the Management of the Starigrad Plain. The aim was to gain an overview of land usage, and to gather information as to what the landowners think is needed to improve conditions in this historic field layout.

Rubbish Management 2018

22 March 2018 Category: Environment

Rubbish management is a hot topic, not to say hot potato, around the world at the moment, especially in Croatia, where the European Directives which were laid down some years ago are finally due to come into force on November 1st 2018.

Plants, crops, soil: Natural Protection

21 April 2017 Category: Environment

When soil is contaminated, what ends up on your plate and in your cup or glass is less than healthy. Chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers are causing untold damage. The 'conventional model' of agriculture is exhausting the earth and undermining human health. There are much better methods of protecting soil and plants using natural resources.

The Organic Alternative

13 April 2017 Category: Environment

Organic farming: possible? YES! worthwhile? YES! Mihovil Stipišić from Vrboska is proving the point.

Bird Names

20 December 2015 Category: Environment

Names in English and Croatian of birds commonly seen on Hvar, together with the scientific names.

Diocletian's Palace, A New Look

07 June 2015 Category: Environment

The Romans knew how to build, and they knew how to choose the best sites for their building. Diocletian's Palace in Split is a prime and well-preserved example. New discoveries in and around the Palace in recent years have brought about a major revision of the history of this magnificent Late Antique building project.

Orchids, Dalmatia's Secret Treasures

13 May 2015 Category: Environment

Wild orchids are a special part of our environment. Are we looking after them?

Glyphosate - GBH

11 October 2014 Category: Environment

GBH is the acronym for Grievous Bodily Harm, a criminal offence in UK law. It also stands for glyphosate-based herbicides...

Perilous Pesticides

16 March 2014 Category: Environment

Good health depends on clean air, clean water and a clean environment. Hvar Island is perfectly placed to offer all those amenities.

GM, Pesticides and Hvar's Future Health

24 December 2013 Category: Health

The 'Mediterranean diet' is considered to be extremely healthy, especially in protecting against heart disease. The first commercial genetically modified (GM) crops were planted in the United States in 1994 and have aroused heated controversy ever since. When GM meets the Mediterranean diet, are the two compatible? Or will GM swallow up the concept of the 'Mediterranean diet' and spit it out, unre...

Tobacco, cigarettes: kick their butt?

09 December 2013 Category: Health

A major scientific study published in November 2016 confirmed the horrific damage cigarette smoking can cause to human health. Cigarette smoking is associated with 17 different types of cancer and is estimated to claim more than 6 million lives each year.

Books to Lighten the Heart

09 November 2013 Category: Health

In the age before tablets, mobile phones, computers and televisions, many people used to read, and reading was a social asset. Yes, it is so. We who are old enough remember that there was a time, not so long ago, when these wonders of modern living did not exist. Children brought up in this age of instant communication across continents often wonder what we did with our time. One thing was reading...

Water, The Most Vital Human Resource

29 October 2013 Category: Health

Hvar is blessed in having a very good water supply. That said, piped water is not yet available across the whole island. The eastern villages between Jelsa and Sućuraj still rely on wells and cisterns filled by rainwater, although projects to connect them to the mains supply by stages are in hand, and have been since about 2010.

Animal Rescue System Urgently Needed

29 October 2013 Category: Animals

The law on the Protection of Animals (Zakon o zaštiti životinja) is relatively recent, dating back only to 2006. It is based on European Union directives dating from 1983, with several updates to the present time. The Croatian law was updated and amended in 2013. When this final text was debated and accepted by Parliamentarians in February 2013, there was a strong recommendation that public awaren...

Hvar's Wildflower Treasures

26 October 2013 Category: Environment

The wildflowers on Hvar are a year-round joy. Even in the depths of winter, there is hardly a week without colours brightening up the countryside, contrasting with the island's rocks and the variegated dark green of the woodlands.

Caring for Hvar's Environment

23 October 2013 Category: Environment

What inspired ECO HVAR for the environment

Health and Healthcare in Our Times

23 October 2013 Category: Health

Some of the concepts underlying ECO HVAR for health.

Dog Rescues: How It All Began

02 October 2013 Category: Animals

The story of how I became involved in animal rescue on the island, and why ECO HVAR for Animals came into being.

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Welcome to the Eco-Hvar website

Welcome to the Eco-Hvar website!

Hvar Island on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It has the makings of a paradise on earth. Islanders have long boasted of the clean air and sea, the pristine natural environment and the healthy lifestyle based on a good diet and outdoor living.

*Clear sea in Hvar harbour, July 2014. Photo: Vivian Grisogono*

Tourism is the island’s main economic activity. Hvar Town established the first professional tourist organization in Europe when the Hvar Health Society (Higijeničko društvo Hvar) was founded way back in 1868 under the leadership of Bishop Juraj Duboković. The Society’s aim was to attract guests to Hvar Town who could benefit from the climate, especially the mild winter, and the clean air. These ‘health tourists’ were well looked after by all accounts, with good food and healthy activities. They provided the foundation for Hvar’s enduring successful tourist industry.

The style of tourism has changed over the years. The basis of Hvar Island’s attractions remains the same. Many people still come to visit or stay here in order to enjoy the clean air, sea and countryside. No-one is disappointed in the natural beauty of the place. There are also other attractions, including the island's rich and colourful history and cultural heritage, not to mention the good food and high quality wines.

However, the island is not perfect. Certain aspects could and should be changed. There is a surprisingly high incidence of smoking- and diet-related illnesses on the island, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and lung problems. The doctors also have to deal with thyroid and hormonal disturbances, especially in young girls, and cancers in all age groups. The indications are that islanders need a better understanding of healthy lifestyle habits, also a clearer knowledge of the downside of using chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

For animal-lovers, the treatment of animals also gives cause for concern. There is no animal rescue facility on the island, and refuges for dogs and cats are urgently needed so proper care can be provided for homeless animals.

The registered not-for-profit charity Eco Hvar was founded in 2013 to help improve conditions for people, animals and the environment. You can read details of the charity's aims in each category on these links: Environment, Health, Animals. The overall ideal aim is to create a true earthly paradise on the exquisite Island of Hvar.

Eco Hvar is pleased to co-operate with like-minded organizations, and is a member of PAN Europe, and LAG Škoji, and a supporter of Zemljane staze - Earth Trek (Facebook page), Održivi otok ('Sustainable Island') (Facebook page), Dignitea (Facebook page) and Pokret otoka ('Island Movement')..

For comprehensive research and strategies for environmental protection, we follow and strongly recommend The Nature-based Solutions Initiative, which operates from the UK University of Oxford Departments of Biology and Geography.

The Eco-Hvar website contains original articles, information, references and links in keeping with the aims of Eco Hvar. All the material on the website is copyright, including the illustrations and photographs, and may not be reproduced or published in any form except with the copyright holders' written permission. However, you are welcome to copy or print out any of the articles for personal use only. For day-by-day topics of interest in keeping with Eco Hvar's aims, you can follow us on Facebook.

Media

For the Good of All!

Better Ways

Nature Watch

Highlights

About Animals

Forum items

Notices

Poisons: Be aware!

Donations

Donations can be made in euros or pounds, dollars and Swiss francs. Please let us know when you have made a donation, especially if you require an official receipt, as the bank does not always identify donors. All donations, however small, are very welcome.

ECO HVAR BANK DETAILS

Privredna Banka Zagreb d.d.

Poslovnica 220 Pjaca, Pjaca 1

21465 Jelsa, Croatia

IBAN: HR37 2340 0091 1106 0678 6 (Account number)

SWIFT CODE: PBZGHR2X

Account name: ECO HVAR

Account address: Pitve 93, 21465 Jelsa, Croatia

If the payment slip has a box for 'further details' or 'further information' you should enter the Charity's OIB: 14009858487, and state 'donation' or 'donacija'.

About The Site

The site contains articles and information on topics related to health, the environment and animal welfare.

While the focus is on Hvar Island in Dalmatia, much of the information is relevant to the rest of Croatia, and some to Europe, the United States and the rest of the world.

The main language of the site is English, but articles in Croatian are being added as quickly as possible. Some of the Croatian articles are translations, some original. Book reviews are in the language of the publication being reviewed.

To see all the articles archived in each category, click on the category name which is given below the title of each article (Environment, Highlights, Notices etc).

For further relevant news items and bits of interesting information, please refer to our Facebook page.

Thanks

We are very grateful to Željka Horvat Kozulić for kindly and expertly designing the ECO HVAR logo, also to Jelena Bunčuga, Petra Mimica, Bartul Mimica, Ivana Župan and Dinka Barbić for their generous help in translating articles into Croatian.

Special thanks are also owed to Mihael Magdić of Orion Informatika i Trgovina, Varaždin, for his excellent and patient efforts in designing the website.

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Eco Environment News feeds

Crunching worms, squeaking voles, drumming ants: how scientists are learning to eavesdrop on the sounds of soil

More than 50% of the planet’s species live in the earth below our feet, but only a fraction have been identified – so far
Read more: No birdsong, no water in the creek, no beating wings: how a haven for nature fell silent
The sound of an earthworm is a distinctive rasping and scrunching. Ants sound like the soothing patter of rain. A passing, tunnelling vole makes a noise like a squeaky dog’s toy repeatedly being chewed.
On a spring day at Rothamsted Research, an agricultural research institution in Hertfordshire, singing skylarks and the M1 motorway are competing for the airways. But the attention here is on the soundscapes underfoot: a rich ecosystem with its own alien sounds. More than half of the planet’s species live in the soil, and we are just starting to tune into what they are up to. Beetle larvae, millipedes, centipedes and woodlice have other sound signatures, and scientists are trying to decipher which sounds come from which creatures.
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‘Reprehensible retreat’: fury as Scottish ministers scrap carbon emissions pledge

Climate campaigners complain of short-termism as country abandons target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030
Climate campaigners have accused Scottish ministers of being “inept” and “short-termist” after they scrapped Scotland’s target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.
Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net zero secretary, confirmed her government had abandoned that target and would also drop legally binding annual targets on reducing carbon emissions, after damning criticism from a UK advisory committee.
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Clean-up of Indian coal-fired power plants ‘could have saved 720,000 lives’

Researchers say early deaths may have been avoided over 10-year period if technology installed
Research has estimated the health impacts from the coal-fired power plants that operate across India.
Six hundred coal power plants generate more than 70% of India’s electricity. Despite regulations passed in 2015, fewer than 5% of these plants operate with modern systems to clean up air pollutants from their chimneys. In China, 95% of coal-fired power plants were fitted with clean-up technologies by 2013.
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Letting grass grow long boosts butterfly numbers, UK study proves

Analysis of 60o gardens shows wilder lawns feed caterpillars and create breeding habitat
Good news for lazy gardeners: one labour-saving tweak could almost double the number of butterflies in your garden, according to a new scientific study – let the grass grow long.
In recent years nature lovers have been extolling the benefits of relaxed lawn maintenance with the growing popularity of the #NoMowMay campaign. Now an analysis of six years of butterfly sightings across 600 British gardens has provided the first scientific evidence that wilder lawns boost butterfly numbers.
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Fossil of ‘largest snake to have ever existed’ found in western India

Scientists estimate Vasuki indicus was up to 15m long, weighed a tonne and would have constricted its prey
Fossil vertebrae unearthed in a mine in western India are the remains of one of the largest snakes that ever lived, a monster estimated at up to 15 metres in length – longer than a T rex.
Scientists have recovered 27 vertebrae from the snake, including a few still in the same position as they would have been when the reptile was alive. They said the snake, which they named Vasuki indicus, would have looked like a large python and would not have been venomous.
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Country diary: These catkins reveals the strange beauty of evolution | Phil Gates

Wolsingham, Weardale: Pause for a moment on these colourful stamens and the method of wind pollination seems incredible. Somehow, it works
From a distance, the pavement seemed to be crawling with enormous caterpillars, but these are unripe male catkins at my feet, torn down by stormy weather from a Lombardy poplar’s twigs 40ft above my head. On a still day, I’d need to botanise with binoculars to appreciate their beauty; now, high winds have presented me with a gift of the most colourful catkins in our tree flora. They are as long and broad as my fingers, densely packed spirals of purple stamens: unexploded pollen bombs.
So much pollen. Counting stamens and estimating their contents, there must be at least 100,000 pollen grains per catkin, and there are still plenty left on the tree. On a high pollen count day, enough to make a hay fever sufferer’s eyes water.
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Pub shrub: landlords asked to plant up their patios to help wildlife

Royal Horticultural Society hopes punters will be inspired by Salford winner of pub garden competition
Pub gardens often feature barren patios, characterless lawns and – worst of all – fake grass.
Now, the Royal Horticultural Society is asking landlords across the country to plant up their patios, saying they are full of untapped potential for urban green space and wildlife.
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‘Stitching the threads’: UK book offers radical vision of a grassroots ecology

On the banks of the River Roding, authors explain how they are putting the concept of ‘wild service’ into practice
It is a call to action that might just be the founding text for a new environmentalism. A forthcoming book by a diverse band of right to roam campaigners offers a radical new vision of how people can repair both the natural world and their broken relationship to it.
Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You, inspired by the rare wild service tree, calls on communities to develop new relationships with the natural world, combining the hard graft of conservation science with the ceremony, gratitude and fun bound up in festivals, Indigenous traditions and even church services.
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‘We can’t hunt or fish’: the villages in Ecuador’s Amazon surrounded by abandoned explosives

In 2002, high explosives were laid in oil wells across 20 sq km of forest. The firm has gone but the pentolite remains, despite a court ruling, putting lives and the ecosystem at risk
Living on the banks of the Bobonaza River, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Indigenous communities in Sarayaku have always lived in harmony with nature. The rainforest, says Patricia Gualinga, is a sacred, conscious being.
So when an Argentinian company was allowed to place a huge amount of high explosive around the rainforest to prospect for oil, the local Kichwa people fought back and eventually took their case to an international court. More than a decade after winning their legal battle, however, the explosives remain strewn around the community’s territory.
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We found unhealthy pesticide levels in 20% of US produce – here’s what you need to know

Consumer Reports recently conducted its most comprehensive review of pesticides in 59 US fruits and vegetables. Here the organization shares what it found
- What’s safe to eat? Here is the pesticide risk level for each fruit and vegetable
When it comes to healthy eating, fruits and vegetables reign supreme. But along with all their vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can come something else: an unhealthy dose of dangerous pesticides.
Though using chemicals to control bugs, fungi and weeds helps farmers grow the food we need, it’s been clear since at least the 1960s that some chemicals also carry unacceptable health risks. And although certain notorious pesticides, such as DDT, have been banned in the US, government regulators have been slow to act on others. Even when a dangerous chemical is removed from the market, chemical companies and growers sometimes just start using other options that may be as dangerous.
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Eco Health News feeds

Children used as 'guinea pigs' in clinical trials

They were given infected blood products in trials without their knowledge, the BBC has found.
Ketamine addict: 'I can't walk 50m without weeing'

Specialist clinics are helping increasing numbers of young ketamine users with damaged bladders.
Almost a quarter of kids aged 5-7 have smartphones

The regulator calls the data a "wake up call", and says parents and industry need to do more.
Sunak sets out plans to tackle 'sick note culture'

The PM wants to strip GPs of power to issue sick notes but Labour says he has run out of ideas.
More young, affluent women may be smoking - study

Younger women could benefit from targeted interventions to tackle the apparent rise, researchers say.
Scotland's under-18s gender clinic pauses puberty blockers

It follows a landmark review of gender services in England which warned of a lack of research.
Sweden votes to lower age to change legal gender to 16

Swedes have been able to change their legally recognised gender since 1972 - but this will make it easier.
'My son had a stroke when he was 12 minutes old'

The implentation of a UK childhood stroke registry is critical, a paediatric consultant says.
Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice forever

The football commentator pays tribute to a speech therapist who helped him talk again after surgery.
What is the smoking ban and how will it work?

The government wants to stop people smoking by raising the legal age limit for buying cigarettes.

Eco Nature News feeds

New film drops beat for ‘climate heroes’

A new documentary takes viewers on a trip around the world to explore one of nature’s most powerful — yet overlooked — climate allies: blue carbon.
To save elephants, it takes a village

Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary — the first community-owned elephant sanctuary in East Africa — provides a place for injured elephants to heal and a home for elephants orphaned by poaching.
Amid a deforestation crisis, two countries plant seeds of hope

Earth lost 3.7 million hectares (9.2 million acres) of tropical forest last year, an area nearly the size of the Netherlands. Yet amid these sobering findings, there are signs of hope.
New research: Critical 'irrecoverable carbon' at risk

Earth has lost 2 billion metric tons of “irrecoverable carbon” since 2018 — an amount greater than the United States’ annual greenhouse gas emissions — underscoring the need to halt deforestation and expand protected areas.
For these women, sustainable business is buzzing

Around the world, women beekeepers are helping to protect bees by sharing their knowledge and traditions. This International Women’s Day, we highlight the work of three beekeepers who live in very different geographies, but are united in their passion for the pollinators.
Deep-sea expedition may have discovered over 100 new species in the Pacific

A recent deep-sea expedition off the coasts of Chile and Peru is revealing the secrets of a vast underwater mountain system — and could help make the case for future ocean protections there.
What drives deforestation — and how can we stop it?

As dangerous heatwaves shatter records around the world, a new study provides the most comprehensive review yet of how to stop deforestation — a major cause of climate-warming greenhouse gases, second only to fossil fuel emissions.
As coffee demand grows, farmers work to deliver a sustainable brew

Every day, billions of cups of coffee are consumed around the world — and experts say demand could triple over the next 30 years. So, how will all those lattes, espressos and cold brews affect the environment?
Climate, biodiversity fight gets $5B shot in the arm

In an announcement today at New York Climate Week, nine philanthropic organizations pledged US$ 5 billion over the next decade to support the creation and expansion of protected areas, sustainable management of the world’s oceans and Indigenous-led conservation.
Meet a scientist: the fisheries aficionado

Ana Gloria Guzmán-Mora is the executive director of Conservation International’s Costa Rica program, where she works with local communities and governments to help them meet their goals for protecting the planet.