Eco Hvar

AGM 2017

Published in Charity: Official

MINUTES from the 5th Annual General Meeting of 'ECO HVAR' which was held on 4th June 2018 at the Cafe Splendid in Jelsa.

ECO HVAR 5TH AGM - June 4th 2018, 18:00 at the Cafe Splendid, Jelsa

Present: Vivian Grisogono, President and Committee Member, Nada Kozulić, Vice-President and Committee Member, Debora Bunčuga, Committee Member, Lesley Brenner, Peter Brenner, Željko Bucat, Ingrid Buijs, Branko Bunčuga, Peter Elborn, Anna Maria Katičić, Branka Poulton, Titica Roschka

Apologies for absence: Carol Adeney, Marina Bandelli, Goga Borić, Katia Dawnay, Anita Drinković, Bob Parfitt, Vilma Plazonja, Rihard Russian, Jasenka Splivalo, Mihovil Stipišić, Tanja Tomić

The Meeting started at 18:30.

AGENDA

1. Welcome. Number of attendees noted, selection of the Meeting Secretary.

2. Adoption of the Minutes from the 4th AGM.

3. Review of Eco Hvar's activities during 2017.

4. Adoption of the Charity's financial report for 2017.

5. Outline of the Charity's programme for 2018.

6. Any other business.

1. Vivian Grisogono welcomed the attendees and confirmed that there was a quorum.

Debora Bunčuga was elected Meeting Secretary, nem con.

2. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE 4TH AGM.

The Minutes, which were previously published on the Eco Hvar website in English and Croatian, were circulated to the attendees.

The Meeting adopted the Minutes from the 4th AGM, nem con.

3. REVIEW OF ECO HVAR'S ACTIVITIES IN 2017

The President gave a verbal account of the Charity's activities during the year.

An Extraordinary Meeting was held on 23rd August 2017, in the 'Splendid' Cafe in Jelsa, at which the President reported on the Charity's activities during the first half of 2017, and proposed that Nada Kozulić as Vice-President should be authorized to represent the Charity. The Meeting accepted the report and proposal, nem con.

The Charity received quite a lot of queries during 2017, ranging from "is organic wheat grown on Hvar?" "could we help find a lost ring?" to "where is the best place for an olive oil tasting?", but the majority related to our two main areas of interest, animal welfare and the environment

(1). ANIMALS (AND BIRDS)

We received 48 inquiries by email during 2017, and a further 3 via Facebook.

DOGS. 32 inquiries related to dogs, not only on Hvar, but in other parts of Croatia, including Brač Island, Istria and Tućepi. There were several complaints about dogs being mistreated and kept in inadequate conditions; there were reports of strays, most of them in very poor condition; and some owners reported losing their dogs.

We helped directly where we could. Otherwise, where appropriate, we advised the concerned people to contact the local town wardens, who are responsible for stray animals and animal welfare, and we also contacted them ourselves. In just a few cases, the situation was resolved satisfactorily: dogs were reunited with their owners, or were found new homes. Disappointingly, most of the complaints about mistreated dogs were not resolved. We were particularly disappointed to receive virtually no response (never mind active intervention) to any of our requests for help from the local town wardens, including on Hvar.

CATS. 15 inquiries related to cats, mostly referring to cats living wild and homeless, sometimes with obvious signs of health problems. There was a particular problem with an accumulation of cats in Stari Grad, which was causing problems with neighbours because of the mess and smell they were creating. Eco Hvar has been glad to support and promote the excellent efforts of Stari Grad resident Amanda Blanch, of 'Hidden House' boutique hotel in Stari Grad (http://www.hidden-house.com) who initiated a much-needed project to sterilize the cats. All credit to Stari Grad Mayor Antonio Škarpa for helping to finance the project, alongside the monies raised through personal donations from well-wishers.

Such sterilization programmes would help to ease the problem of unwanted cats on Hvar and elsewhere. Other possibilities include cat-feeding stations and catteries. For the moment, no such facilities exist on Hvar.

OTHERS. The remaining inquiries related to birds: injured wild birds, and song birds trapped and kept in small cages (a truly heart-breaking sight). On Hvar, there is currently no facility for helping injured wild birds, and the nearest 'bird hospital' is in Šibenik. The practice of trapping migrating birds to keep as song-producing captive 'pets' is now against the law in Croatia, but - tragically - it still occurs, and Eco Hvar is doing its best to put an end to it.

(2). ENVIRONMENT

Rubbish. The Easter period was yet again a busy time for Eco Hvar. As always, Eco Hvar provided rubbish bins round the Pitve church and helped to clear the local paths around Pitve in the weeks before the event. As usual, cleaning up after the overnight Procession Za Križen, which took place on (13th-14th April), took over two hours of hard work. Littering and rubbish dumping continue to be a significant problem in general on Hvar and elsewhere. An Anglophone resident of Hvar wrote to Eco Hvar in July complaining about the rubbish dump outside Hvar Town, and questioning why rubbish was not controlled in a more efficient way: Eco Hvar suggested the complaint perhaps should be addressed to Mr Rikardo Novak, the newly elected Mayor of Hvar.

Pest control. Eco Hvar fully accepts the need for control of unwanted vermin. However, the national practices of control through poisons has been the subject of concern for several years. Our concerns focus on the following:

i) the poisons used - some are no longer allowed in the European Union and/or in the Republic of Croatia

ii) the delivery of poisons - rat poison in flimsy cellophane bags, distributed to households; insecticides sprayed indiscriminately along public places and streets

iii) the lack of due warning to the public - warnings are limited, usually to official notice boards and the websites of the local councils, but are only issued in Croatian, despite the large presence of foreigners who will be affected by the programme.

iv) the irresponsible manner in which insecticides and rodenticides are delivered - with no safety measures to protect human health or non-target animals, and no measures to prevent unlawful use, particularly of rodenticides.

iv) the lack of transparency - Eco Hvar has been questioning the local Council for several years in writing, but it has taken about five years to discover who is responsible for establishing and monitoring the Pest Control Programme, that is the Institute for Public Health for the Split-Dalmatia County. An even more surprising discovery was that the Institute has a representative in Jelsa.

v) the ineffectiveness of the programme. As everywhere, poisons create resistance in the target species, as well as harming or killing beneficial creatures, not to mention household pets. In other countries, alternatives are being sought.

In August, Eco Hvar wrote to a number of addresses in Croatia, primarily the Ministry for Health, which is ultimately responsible for the Pest Control Programme. Supporting material was included with the letter, showing all the evidence which gives cause for our concern. Others included in the correspondence were the Croatia Institute for Public Health in Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, several other Ministries which are affected by the Programme, Croatia's European Parliamentarians, the Head (Župan) of Split-Dalmatia County, and the local authorities on Hvar Island. We circulated our letter and the supporting material to all Eco Hvar supporters, the local press, and Croatian charities and groups which are active in safeguarding the environment.

We received replies from the Prime Minister's office (29th August 2017) urging the Ministries of Health and of Environmental Protection to reply to our concerns; the Minister for Health, prof.dr.sc. Milan Kujundžić, stated that his inspectors had found no shortcomings in the pest control practices (letter, 4th September 2017); the State Secretary for the Agriculture Ministry, dr.sc.Željko Kraljičak replied on 15th October 2017 stating the basis for the illness suppression measures, including pest control, according to World Health Organization and European Commission guidelines.

Mr Predrag Krajković from Bogomolje, apparently from a pest control company, telephoned Eco Hvar President Vivian Grisogono, offering to meet and explain the situation regarding pest control, but did not follow through when he was asked to put his comments in writing.

On October 9th 2017, Jelsa's Mayor Nikša Peronja kindly wrote to the County Institute for Public Health, voicing our concerns. We are very grateful for his intervention. On October 18th 2018, he received a reassuring reply from Dr. Jasna Ninčević, Head of the Institute, stating that everything was being done as it should be, according to the laws. However, she admitted that parts of the Programme, especially larvicide actions, were of limited use.

On November 16th 2017 Eco Hvar wrote to Dr. Ninčević of the Split Dalmatia Public Health Institute, giving full details of the discrepancies between the Institute's own guidelines for implementing pest control, and what was happening on the ground. The letter has remained unanswered.

Our correspondence focuses on the situation on Hvar, especially the central and western parts of the island, but in fact the problem of deficiencies in pest control practices is nationwide throughout Croatia.

Other activities relating to the environment. There was correspondence related to starting a project for the protection of the Dalmatian pine (crni bor), with UK tree expert Graham King; there was an exchange with concerned citizens and the local authorities about the merits and demerits of cladding the old stone of the Pitve School with coloured render; and a query about the local Dalmatian cabbage variety 'raštika'.

In April 2017, Eco Hvar and Hvar's 'Lista za ponos mista' (The 'Pride in our Place' Group) co-hosted lectures in Hvar Town (18th April) and Jelsa (19th April), in which Vjeran Piršić from the Island of Krk demonstrated how Krk had succeeded in improving the environmental situation, especially with regard to rubbish control and recycling measures. In October 2017, at the request of Eco Hvar, Ivica Keršić, Head of Jelsa's Governing Board (Upravni odbor) attended a conference on the Island of Krk, organized by Vjeran Piršić, which focussed on practical solutions to the environmental problems faced by Croatia's islands, and showcased international experiences described by visiting experts.

In July-August 2017, Eco Hvar actively participated in the campaign to preserve the Jabuka-Pomo Pit ('Jabučka kotlina') within the Adriatic Recovery Project.

Eco Hvar continues to support the work of parallel charities and groups, and is a member of LAG Škoji (Island Local Action Group), Dignitea (Hvar), Održivi otok, Pokret otoka (Island Movement) and the Pesticide Action Network - Europe (PAN-e).

Some positive news! We have been especially delighted to receive input of first-hand organic farming practices from Miki Stipišić of Vrboska, who has proved that it is possible to feed a family of nine organic produce from field and garden - and run a demanding business full-time at some distance from the island in Split! We know that by his practical example Miki has exerted an influence on 'conventional' farmers around him, and we hope that publicizing his methods and successes through our website and educational activities will spread the message to as wide an audience as possible.

On another happy note, we are always glad to welcome nature lovers, and are happy that some of our articles on flowers and birds are attracting visitors. In July 2017 Will Rose and Eugenie Dunster came to Hvar with the express purpose of seeing the bee-eaters. Eco-Hvar's bird enthusiast Steve Jones took them on a guided tour of his favoured birdwatching spots, and we were all rewarded with wonderful sightings (http://www.eco-hvar.com/en/nature-watch/239-birdwatch-june-july-2017). The bee-eaters were also a draw for John Ball, an expert bird photographer, who contacted Eco Hvar in October 2017 to ask where he would find them when he re-visited the island in May 2018. Eco Hvar is extremely grateful to Steve Jones for his regular reports on the island's birds and natural life, and to Will, Eugenie and John for their contributions of knowledge, enthusiasm and photographs.

(3). EDUCATION AND RAISING AWARENESS

i) Media exposure. Eco Hvar's activities continued to receive publicity in the widely read local newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, and again we are deeply grateful to journalist Mirko Crnčević for his understanding of our aims and his excellent work in publicizing them to a broader public.

ii) Eco Hvar website. 42 articles were published during 2017, of which the most significant involved organic farming methods and poison control. The site's overall figures,as at early June 2018, show over 99,000 for the welcome page, 74,400 for the article 'Insect spraying, pros and cons' / 'Prskanje insekata, za i protiv', and several other of the site's earlier articles reaching 50,000 and 60,000 visits. Thanks are owed to Steve Jones, Miki Stipišić and Marion Podolski for their invaluable contributions of original material, and Ivana Župan for her fine translations into Croatian, which are an indispensable part of the website's success.

iii) Facebook. We post items of interest most days, including original material, links to the articles on our website, and links from other sources covering topics related to our main activity areas. The FB page is a useful source of instant communication, and our page has gradually gained a following of some 370 readers, as at early June 2018.

The activities report was accepted by the Meeting, nem con.

4. FINANCIAL REPORT. Vivian Grisogono presented a review of the finances during 2017, which showed that the Charity had an income of 7.035 kn, and outgoings of 5.457 kn. Assets at the beginning of that year totalled 11.833,00 kn carried over from the preceding year. at the end of 2017 the assets stood at 14.259,00 kn. The main expenses related to animal care, maintaining the website, accountancy and bank charges. donations were the sole source of income.

The financial report was accepted by the Meeting, nem con.

5. PROPOSED PROGRAMME FOR 2018.

2018 promises to be a year of change, and positive change at that, with the new law for the Protection of Animals coming into force at the end of October 2017 (although some clauses will only be enacted on December 31st 2018), and new regulations governing rubbish disposal and recycling being imposed at the end of October 2018.

We aim:

i. Animals

- to continue our cooperation with the Animalis Centrum Animal Shelter in Kaštel Sućurac.

- to support the efforts of Hvar's mayors, who have all committed in various ways to help improve conditions for animals on the island.

- to help establish enclosed places where dogs can be exercised, and perhaps one or more dog-friendly beaches.

ii. Education and raising awareness

- to organize further lectures and seminars on environmental issues.

- to continue to provide informative articles through the Eco Hvar website.

- to support efforts to educate the young in good environmental practices.

iii. Eco-activities

- to help organize activities, including picnics and walks, raising awareness and enjoyment in the natural environment, especially for children and young people

iv. Promoting organic agriculture

- to increase the availability of information about environmentally friendly farming practices

- to continue lobbying and raising awareness of the dangers of pesticide use.

v. Cooperation with other Charities

- to continue collaboration with parallel Charities both locally and further afield in Croatia.

- to continue to foster links with international Charities sharing similar aims.

The programme for 2018 was accepted by the Meeting, nem con.

6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS.

Peter Elborn explained the situation in relation to the proposed photographic exhibition in London of work by Jelsa's elementary school pupils, which was recommended at the 2017 AGM. The exhibition has not yet been organized, as the London Embassy exhibition space has been under renovation. Hopefully, it will be possible to stage the exhibition in the coming period.

Branko Bunčuga recommended that Eco Hvar could cooperate with the olive oil producers' association, Sv. Špirijun (Saint Spyridon), in order to organize a lecture about the dangers of using commonly accepted pesticides, and to educate olive-growers in organic alternatives to chemical pesticides. He cited Mihovil Stipišić as an excellent example through his use of herbal preparations for treating and protecting plants, which could wholly replace the chemical equivalents. It was agreed that this was a suggestion which was worth following up.

Željko Bucat reported that the local Council would shortly be offering 40 hectares of valuable cultivable land for rental, which would be an opportunity for Eco Hvar to recommend that organic farming methods should be a condition of the tenancy. All agreed that this should be done, and the Charity undertook to write accordingly to the Council.

Lesley Brenner recommended that Eco Hvar should collaborate with a local radio station, especially Radio Split, in order to promote organic farming methods through programmes covering agriculture. The Meeting considered this a worthwhile suggestion for the longer term.

Ingrid Bujis recommended that posters warning people not to drop litter should be posted around the bathing beaches, a suggestion which met with general approval.

All present agreed that it was important to engage children and young people in education programmes about the environment. Unfortunately, even though the local school is an 'Ecological School', the pupils are not aware that they should not drop litter, which is all too evident each day by the bus stop where they gather after school.

At the close of the meeting, Vivian Grisogono read out a special message from Bob Parfitt, a Rotary member from the UK, who has been actively helping those in need in Croatia (and elsewhere around the world) since 1992: "Please accept my apologies. I would love to be present. Message to all present. You have a beautiful Island there and it is worth looking after. Well done."

The President then added her own thanks to the Meeting and all those who helped Eco Hvar in whatever way during 2017.

The Meeeting closed at 20:00

More in this category: « Extraordinary Meeting, 22nd February 2019 Extraordinary Meeting, 23rd August 2017. »
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    A black-backed jackal hunts for prey.

    “But then the nature finance team at Conservation International — these crazy guys — came up with a wild idea,” Alie said. “In just six months they put this entirely new funding model together: loaning money at an affordable rate to the conservancies so that they can continue to pay staff and wildlife rangers.”

    Conservation International and the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association launched the African Conservancies Fund — a rescue package to offset lost revenues for approximately 3,000 people in the area who rely on tourism income. Between December 2020 and December 2022, the fund provided more than US$ 2 million in affordable loans to four conservancies managing 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres).

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    Born out of this emergency, we discovered a new way to do conservation.

    Elijah Toirai

    “The catastrophe of COVID-19 was total for us,” said Benard Leperes, a landowner with Mara North Conservancy and a conservation expert at Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association. “Without Conservation International and the fund, this landscape would have not been secured; the conservancies would have disintegrated as people were forced to sell their land to convert it to agriculture.”

    But it was communities themselves that proved the model might be replicable after the pandemic ended.

    “The conservancies had until 2023 before the first payment was due,” Toirai said. “But as soon as tourism resumed in mid-2021, the communities started paying back the loans. Today, the loans are being repaid way ahead of schedule.”

    “Born out of this emergency, we discovered a new way to do conservation.”

    A new era for conservation

    The high plateaus overlooking the Maasai Mara are home to the very last giant pangolins in Kenya.

    These mammals, armored with distinctive interlocking scales, are highly endangered because of illegal wildlife trade. In Kenya, threats from poaching, deforestation and electric fences meant to deter elephants from crops have caused the species to nearly disappear. Today, scientists believe there could be as few as 30 giant pangolins left in Kenya.

    Conservancies could be crucial to bringing them back. Conservation International has identified opportunities to provide transformative funding for conservancies in this area — a sprawling grassland northwest of Maasai Mara that is the very last pangolin stronghold in the country. The fund will help communities better protect an existing 10,000-hectare (25,000-acre) conservancy and bring an additional 5,000 hectares under protection. It provides a safety net, ensuring a steady income for the communities as the work of expanding the conservancy begins. With a stable income, communities can start work to restore the savanna and remove electric fences that have killed pangolins. And as wildlife move back into the ecosystem, the grasslands will begin to recover.

    In addition to expanding conservancies around Maasai Mara, Conservation International has identified other critical ecosystems where community conservancies can help lift people out poverty, while providing new habitats for wildlife. Conservation International has ambitious plans to restore a critical and highly degraded savanna between Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks in southern Kenya, as well as a swath of savanna outside Kruger National Park in South Africa.

    © Emily Nyrop

    A lone acacia tree in a sea of grass.

    Elephants, fire, Maasai and cattle

    Many of the new and emerging community conservancies have been carefully chosen as key wildlife corridors that would be threatened by overgrazing livestock.

    When the first Maasai Mara conservancies were established in 2009, cattle grazing was prohibited within their boundaries. When poorly managed, cattle can wear grasses down to their roots, triggering topsoil erosion and the loss of nutrients, microbes and biodiversity vital for soil health. It was also believed that tourists would be put off by the sight of livestock mingling with wildlife.

    © Emily Nyrop

    Cattle are closely monitored in the Maasai Mara to prevent overgrazing.

    However, over the years, landowners objected, lamenting the loss of cultural ties to cattle and herding. “That was when we changed tactics,” said Raphael Kereto, the grazing manager for Mara North Conservancy.

    Beginning in 2018, Mara North and other conservancies in the region started adopting livestock grazing practices to restore the savanna. Landowners agreed to periodically move livestock between different pastures, allowing grazed lands to recover and regrow,  mimicking the traditional methods pastoralists have used on these lands for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

    “Initially, there was a worry that maybe herbivores and other wildlife will run away from cattle,” said Kereto. “But we have seen the exact opposite — the wildlife all follow where cattle are grazing. This is because we have a lot of grass, and all the animals follow where there is a lot of grass. We even saw a cheetah with a cub that spent all her time rotating with wildlife.”

    “It's amazing — when we move cattle, the cheetah comes with it.”

    The loans issued by the fund — now called the African Conservancies Facility — will enhance rotational grazing systems, which are practiced differently in each conservancy, by incorporating best practices and lessons from the organization’s Herding for Health program in southern Africa.

    © Will Turner

    An elephant herd stares down a pack of hyenas.

    For landowners like Dickson Kaelo, who was among the pioneers to propose the conservancy model in Kenya, the return of cattle to the ecosystem has restored a natural order.

    “I always wanted to understand how it was that there was so much more wildlife in the conservancies than in Maasai Mara National Reserve,” said Kaelo, who heads the Kenya Wildlife Conservancy Association, based in Nairobi.

    “I went to the communities and asked them this question. They told me savannas were created by elephants, fire and Maasai and cattle, and excluding any one of those is not good for the health of the system. So, I believe in the conservancies — I know that every single month, people go to the bank and they have some money, they haven't lost their culture because they still are cattle keepers, and the land is much healthier, with more grass, more wildlife, and the trees have not been cut.

    “For me, it’s something really beautiful.”

    Further reading:

    Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates. Also, please consider supporting our critical work.

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