Eco Hvar's aims for protecting animals and improving animal welfare, plus related articles
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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.
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, Dinka Barbić and Josip Vlainić 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.
Green groups say European Commission is ‘chief roadblock’ to its own plans, as report finds poor progress four years on
Harmful compounds in children’s nappies and toxic “forever chemicals” in everyday products are among 14 hazardous substance groups hit by lengthy delays to EU pollution controls, according to report findings described by scientists as “extremely frustrating”.
The European Commission sought to push broad categories of dangerous substances off the market with a “restrictions roadmap” in April 2022 that was hailed at the time as the largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals.
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Divers are installing waterproof speakers in the ocean to help pull a coral reef near Jamaica back from the brink
The northern coast of Jamaica once served as the backdrop for scenes in the James Bond thriller No Time to Die. But today, beneath those same turquoise waves, a real-life mission is unfolding: the race to pull a dying coral reef back from the brink.
However, the tools a team of divers are carrying to the seafloor are not what you would expect to find in a marine biologist’s kit. They are installing waterproof speakers at the bottom of the ocean, and the man leading the team is not a scientist.
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‘Coalition of the willing’ gathers in Colombia to try to bypass petrostate blockages of Cop summits and chart fresh path
The world’s first Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, takes place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24 to 29 April. A “coalition of the willing” – including 54 countries and various subnational governments, civil society groups and academics– will try to chart a new path to powering the world with low-carbon energy.
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In this week’s newsletter: Experts are predicting a stronger version of the weather pattern this year, which could supercharge extreme events and see temperature rises breach 1.5C
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Scientists and officials are keeping a close eye on conditions brewing in the Pacific Ocean that could spike temperatures and smash global heat records in the year ahead.
It’s still too early to get a definitive picture, but there are signs that a so-called super El Niño could develop this year, supercharging extreme weather events around the world. Some forecasts are suggesting it could become one of the strongest ever recorded.
Stern warning: one man’s mission to clear the rotting boats poisoning Cornwall’s creeks
On the trail with the hunters who believe shooting big game can save Africa’s wildlife
Are we heading for ‘super El Niño’ – and what could we expect?
What is supercharging global heat? – video explainer
Chance of El Niño forming in Pacific Ocean may push global temperatures to record highs in 2027
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Brancepeth, County Durham: It’s nearly 30 years since St Brandon’s was devastated by fire. Today, both inside and out, it is full of light and life
“Please close the door. It conserves heat and keeps the organ in tune,” requests the notice inside the church door. It’s pleasantly warm inside, on this chilly April morning. But on the night of 16 September 1998, temperatures here exceeded 1,000C, when fire consumed the old organ, along with the floors, window, roof and 900 years of history, leaving a charred shell.
Seven years of reconstruction and renewal followed, creating a light, airy interior: simple pale oak has replaced the darker, more intricate furnishings, and a new east window portrays an exotic floral paradise.
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Study of fossilised beaks shows patterns of wear and suggests some ancient species were up to 19 metres long
Giant “kraken-like” octopuses that used powerful beaks to crunch through bones of prey were among the most formidable predators of the Cretaceous oceans, according to research.
Analysis of dozens of newly identified fossils reveals that some ancient octopus species reached up to 19 metres in length, meaning they would have rivalled – and possibly even preyed upon – apex predators such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.
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More than 50% of voters at first AGM under new leadership oppose plans to scrap climate reporting
BP’s board has suffered a triple climate rebellion in its first shareholder meeting since appointing new leadership to steer the embattled oil company.
More than 50% of shareholders voting at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) came out against its plans to scrap its existing climate reporting, and its resolution to replace in-person annual shareholder meetings – a lightning rod for climate protest in recent years – with online-only events.
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Most landholders in regional Victoria support renewable energy – if they get a say. But planning approvals are riding roughshod over community concerns
The wind never really stops on Peter Watts’ hill. On his grazing property, 90km north-west of Bendigo, it sweeps in across the plains and picks up strength as it climbs. “I can go up there any time of the day,” Watts says. “It might be completely still down here but it’s always windy up there.”
For five generations, the hill was just part of the landscape. Then, in 2002, scientists told him it was the “perfect spot” for a windfarm. Developers came knocking a decade later, proposing to build six turbines on the hill, each one 95 metres high
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The climate crisis is accelerating the frequency of devastating events across the world, displacing millions and disproportionately affecting women
The water mark on Naira Santa Rita’s wall told the story before she could find the words for it. High and brown, like a scar, it was the line left by the floodwater on 15 February 2022 – the night Petrópolis drowned.
Within minutes, the mountain city she called home became a war zone. From her window, she watched bodies float past in the streets below. More than 230 people died that night, in what was until then Brazil’s worst climate disaster.
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One blaze broke out north-west of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, a state known for its wetlands and everglades
Much of the US is in the grip a widespread drought after a very dry winter and start to spring. South-eastern areas, in particular Florida and Georgia, are experiencing some of the worst of this prolonged bout of dry weather, with calls for the risk to be labelled a level 4 “exceptional” drought in the region, the most severe category. In recent days, strong winds and low humidity conditions have brought an increased fire risk. These ingredients combined with such unusually dry ground have led to multiple large wildfires, particularly across Florida, a state known for its wetlands and everglades.
A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning in Broward County, Florida, just north-west of Fort Lauderdale, scorching an area of more than 3,723 hectares (9,200 acres) as of Thursday afternoon. The National Guard helped Broward’s sheriff, fire and rescue service tackle the blaze, 50% of which has since been contained. Residents nearby and farther west have been warned of reduced air quality as a result of travelling smoke. Fires have been breaking out elsewhere, with multiple active blazes across northern Florida, Georgia and into Alabama. Abnormally dry weather is likely to continue over the next few weeks before the arrival of the rainy season, usually around June, with the drought and fire risk expected to last.
Continue reading...The proposed legislation was supported by MPs but has not cleared its stages in the Lords.
The government said medical data of 500,000 people was affected but no personally identifiable information had been made available.
A cross-party report has called for safer conditions for the record number of families living in temporary accommodation.
Saffie's mum says Luxturna therapy at Great Ormond Street has been like "someone waved a magic wand".
Medical marijuana was moved into a lower category of drugs in order to increase research and access.
Beer provides "substantial levels" of vitamin B6 into your diet, according to new research.
Across the UK, shopfronts are being exploited by criminal gangs pushing illegal drugs, experts say.
The arrest was made as part of a wider investigation into leadership at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Amy-Jane Davies is one of 687,958 waiting for any type of NHS treatment in Wales.
A&E manager Sam Carter was under investigation by the Portsmouth trust when she took her own life.
Deep in the mountains of Palawan, Conservation International scientists are capturing what few people ever see: the secret lives of the Philippines’ rarest species.
At Maido — the Lima restaurant recently crowned the best in the world — one of the star dishes is paiche, a giant prehistoric river fish.Its journey to the table begins on a small family farm deep in Peru’s Amazon.
“Jane Goodall forever changed how people think about, interact with and care for the natural world,” said Daniela Raik, interim CEO of Conservation International.
Conservation International’s Neil Vora was selected for TIME’s Next 100 list — alongside other rising leaders reshaping culture, science and society.
Climate change is happening. And it’s placing the world’s reefs in peril. What can be done?
After decades of negotiation, the high seas treaty is finally reality. The historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters which face numerous threats.
The Amazon rainforest, known for lush green canopies and an abundance of freshwater, is drying out — and deforestation is largely to blame.
The ocean is engine of all life on Earth, but human-driven climate change is pushing it past its limits. Here are five ways the ocean keeps our climate in check — and what can be done to help.
In a grueling and delicate dance, a team led by Conservation International removes a massive undersea killer.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures might be worth even more. An initiative featuring the work of some of the world’s best nature photographers raises money for environmental conservation.
