Eco Hvar

AGM 2021

Published in Charity: Official
MINUTES
From the 9th Annual General Meeting of the non-profit Association 'Eco Hvar', held on June 1st 2022 at the 'Splendid Cafe' in Jelsa.

Present: Vivian Grisogono - Eco Hvar President, Debora Bunčuga - Secretary, Dinka Barbić - steering committee member, Marija Bunčuga - steering committee member, Sara Radonić - steering committee member, Mladenka Babić, Carolyn Belikow, Frank John Dubokovich, Bianka Jakas, Josipa Mandlbaum, Drago Vojnović, Mauricette Vojnović

Apologies for absence: Carol Adeney, Miranda Miličić Bradbury, Ingrid Bujis, Martin Gannon, Žarko de Grisogono, Majda Moskatello, Bob Parfitt, Jasenka Splivalo, Katia Zaninović Dawnay

The meeting was opened by Association President Vivian Grisogono at 17:30.

AGENDA

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

2. Adoption of the Minutes from the 8th AGM.

3. Review of Eco Hvar's activities during 2021.

4. Adoption of the Charity's financial report for 2021.

5. Outline of the Charity's programme for 2022.

6. Any other business.

1. WELCOME. Vivian Grisogono welcomed the attendees and confirmed that there was a quorum.
Marija Bunčuga was elected Meeting Secretary, and Debora Bunčuga was deputed to lead the meeting in Croatian, with Vivian Grisogono translating into English as necessary.
2. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE 8TH AGM.
The Minutes, which were published previously on the Eco Hvar website in English and Croatian, were circulated to the attendees.
The Meeting adopted the Minutes from the 8th AGM, nem con.

3. REVIEW OF ECO HVAR'S ACTIVITIES IN 2021

Requests for help or advice
As in previous years, throughout 2021 people contacted us with various questions, mostly via email or Facebook, occasionally by telephone.
Animals
We received 93 inquiries about animals, 40 about dogs, 45 about cats, 4 about birds, 3 about donkeys, and one about a poor tiger on the ferry. Mostly the animals in question were on Hvar, but some were in other parts of Croatia, such as Makarska, Omiš, Korčula and Istria.
As always, we helped as much as we could, directly or indirectly. In most cases, we passed the inquiries on to the relevant town wardens (komunalni redari) who are responsible for taking care of stray dogs, or who should call in the veterinary inspector from Split in the case of mistreated animals.
 
Help for Cats
We invested in a cat-trap cage, in accordance with Sara Radonić's recommendation at the 8th AGM, and it has been put to good use in catching street cats for the sterilization programme in Gdinj, Jelsa and Pitve.

Abandoned kittens are always a major problem, and we are truly grateful to our friends who have helped to save at least some of them. It is very difficult to explain to outsiders that we have no shelter or facilities for caring for unwanted, wounded or sick cats, except through volunteers. While all do what they can, there are simply not enough animal-loving people to save them all, especially during the winter. However, each year we are glad to note increasing numbers of volunteers, including new settlers from abroad, who help care for cats in need and even find them homes, on the island, elsewhere in Croatia and abroad. Special thanks are due to the indefatigable Amanda Blanch and Chris Edwardes (owners of the "Hidden House Hotel" in Stari Grad), who constantly go beyond the 'extra mile' to save cats and dogs in need.

Sadly, cat poisonings have continued, not only in Hvar Town, but also in other parts of the island, as well as other parts of Croatia. Our project to set up feeding stations in safe places for cats is progressing, and we hope that this initiative, in conjunction with the existing programme for cat sterilizations will help to keep the cat numbers under better control, and so calm the situation.

Help for Dogs
The plight of mistreated hunting dogs is still a major concern, for which we are still trying to find a solution. Too often these dogs are not microchipped or vaccinated, and are kept in totally unsatisfactory conditions, chained up, without adequate water or food, even in the hottest months. The Hunting Association should certainly take responsible action to help improve the situation.

On a happier note, our Association has succeeded in saving several dogs during the year. We do not always publicize our activities, as in certain cases this would risk making the situation worse for dogs with aggressive owners, and could jeopardize the safety of those who have reported them. (We always pass on reports and complaints about mistreatments without disclosing the names of the complainants.)

Our collaboration with the Bestie Animal Shelter in Kaštel SSućurac has continued extremely successfully: almost all the dogs rescued from Hvar over time have found new homes. Those who remain in the shelter have everything they need, not just the basics of food, water and medical care, but also socialization with people and other dogs, walks, and summertime bathing in the sea. This gives them the best chance of finding the right homes, as their characters are fully assessed through all the activities they are exposed to.

For the environment
We continue unceasingly to promote initiatives for environmental protection. Unfortunately, the use of pesticides is still a major problem on our island, as in the whole of Croatia. Herbicides are visible soon after they have been applied, especially in the spring and autumn. Slug poisons like Pužomor are also visible to a certain extent. But insecticides and fungicides are largely invisible, unless one happens to see people applying them. Tragically, the effects of all these poisons in our environment are increasingly obvious: fewer and fewer insects, birds and bats, therefore a loss of biodiversity - alongside increasing numbers of harmful organisms, because the natural chain has been damaged.

In 2021 a beekeeper in Zavala suddenly had a mass loss of bees, only realising that this was just after the routine insect spraying carried out by the local authorities when he happened to see - too late - our Facebook warning about it. According to the regulations, beekeepers are supposed to receive special warning to safeguard their hives when this summertime blanket spraying of the environment is due to take place, but in practice that does not happen. Our Association has been warning the local authorities for several years that the rules are not being respected, to no effect.

The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Save the bees and Farmers', asking for the EU to reduce the use of pesticides over a period of time, garnered over one million signatures at its conclusion in September 2021. As part of the ECI campaign, dust samples were taken from houses in several countries to check for the presence of selected pesticides. The sample taken from a house in Svirče in June 2021, tested in the Yootest laboratory in France, revealed eight active ingredients from two herbicides and six fungicides. The results are alarming, as each one is potentially dangerous on its own, no-one knows the effects of such combinations, and the pesticides obviously accumulated in the house over a space of time without dispersing. The herbicides were Pendimethalin (in the products Stomp Aqua, Pendus 330EC) and Chlorotoluron (Tolurex 50SC; Tornado Forte); the fungicides: Boscalid (Cantus, Signum, Bellis, Pictor), Cyprodinil (Chorus 75WG, Chorus 50WG, Switch 62,5WG), Fluopyram (Velum Prime, Luna Privilege, Luna Experience, Luna Care, Luna sensation, Propulse, Ascra Xpro), Pyraclostrobin ( Retengo, Cabrio® Top, Cabrio Team ®, Signum, Priaxor EC, Bellis), Spyroxamine (Spirox, Falcon EC460, Falcon Forte), Trifloxystrobin (Nativo 75WG, Luna Sensation, Zato Plus.

In February 2021 Association President Vivian Grisogono (at her own expense) sent a hair sample for testing in the 'Kudzu' laboratory in France. Again, the results were worrying, revealing the presence of the herbicide Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup / Cidokor and some 750 products), the fungicide Azoxystrobin, and a large quantity of the insecticide Permethrin. Note: Roundup / Cidokor was banned in Europe in 2016 - see our article 'Pesticides, cause for alarm')

See the articles on our website for more information about the pesticides listed:

'Pesticides and their adverse effects'

'Glyphosate herbicides, scientific evidence'

Why are there so many poisons in our environment?

Most people are not aware of just how polluted our environment is with pesticides, and those who are find it difficult to understand why it is so. Chemical pesticides are big business, with a powerful lobby against any attempts to curb their use, even though the European Union has the official aim of reducing pesticide use significantly by the year 2030. In theory the precautionary principle underpins regulation of pesticides in the EU, but in practice it is not so.

The theory that it is necessary to poison our foods in order for humans to have enough to eat is, to say the least, strange. The practice is even stranger. Permits for pesticides are issued in the EU on the basis of unpublished researches funded by the pesticide producers. The system for banning pesticides which have been proven to be especially potentially harmful is totally flawed, as the example of Glyphosate testifies. Pesticides are advertised as essential for agriculture, even though each and every one carries risks: for instance, Baturad (active ingredient Bti) has been shown to interfere with reproduction in birds and cause a loss of biodiversity in the environment.

In Croatia, scientists from the Ministry of Agriculture regularly recommend a variety of potentially dangerous pesticides as 'preventive' against unwanted harmful pests and various organisms. As they obviously do not monitor the results, they have not registered that there has been an increase in harmful pests, even new varieties! The mandatory insect suppression programme is significantly increasing the problems year on year. On Hvar routine spraying of all the streets with dangerous pesticides is carried out routinely three times each year during the summer season, and that without any adequate warnings. Besides this, there are larvicidal actions.

Individuals (probably also including many if not most 'experts') who use herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, often in large quantities, generally have no idea of the possible adverse effects of the products they are handling and spreading around.

All of this poses serious long-term threats to the environment and human health. That is why we continue to take the trouble, especially through our website, to present objective scientific information about pesticides.

Many more articles detailing the problems of pesticides are found on our website under the category 'Poisons beware'

Eco Hvar in the media. As in previous years, in 2021 Eco Hvar's work was highlighted in print, especially in the widely read regional newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, thanks to the continuing tireless support of journalist Mirko Crnčević. His exemplary professional work and his understanding of the importance of our aims have definitely increased awareness in a wide-ranging public of the issues of concern regarding animal welfare and environmental protection.

In Slobodna Dalmacija: „Američki digitalni nomadi u Jelsi ostvarili hrvatski san“ (14.03.2021.); „U Hvaru je lani usmrćeno čak 30 mačaka, ali trovač ne staje!“ (16.04.2021.); „Tragedija u Vrisniku“ (04.10.2021.); „Patite zbog impotencije? Provjerite jesu li vam se pesticidi 'zavukli' u sobu“ (24.09.2021.); „Prašina iz spavaće sobe zatrovana s dva herbicida i šest fungicida“ (27.10.2021.); „Milanović: Hvarani, udružite se što prije za čistiji škoj“ (17.08.2021.).

In 'Dobra kob', the magazine for hunters: „Jesu li lovci uključeni u trovanje stoke, divljača i pasa na području Zagore?!“ (July 2021); „Cidokor će nas stajati glave. Truju nas, ptice i divljač!“ (December 2021).

In 'Hrvatska pčela' the bee-keepers' magazine: „Otrovi su ozbiljna prijetnja i ljudima i pčelama!“ (December 2021)

The Association's work also featured on National television, thanks to the expert journalistic work of Maja Zrnić. On the programme 'Pozitivno' (HRT1) an outline of the Association's activities concerning animals was shown on Sunday May 9th 2021, while on October 14th 2021 a feature about pesticides called 'Ples na rubu' (Dancing on the edge) in the programme called PULS (HRT1) included our Association.

Facebook. On our Facebook page we continued to post warnings regarding the annual insecticide spraying programme and the hunting season, as well as items of interest, in keeping with our aims.

Website www.eco-hvar.com. We continued to update the information about the adverse effects of pesticides and their approval status, alongside articles about the beauty of our island.

Some Highlights from 2021:

As there were fewer anti-Covid restrictions in 2021, it was possible to be more active on the ground than in 2020.

1) The 'Cat Play'. In October, members of the Association put on a charming and touching playlet about the plight of street cats for young children, first in the Jelsa Park, and following that in Jelsa's Elementary School. We thank everyone who took part, especially Daniela Lučić and Željka Kozulić who devised the scenario, script and production, and Luka Zagorac, who was the sound engineer.

2) Erasmus Visit. From the 18th to the 22nd October we had a visit from Slovenia under the Erasmus Programme, which was delayed from 2020 due to the pandemic. Neva Malek and Vesna Poštuvan, Director and Lecturer at the IC Piramid College in Maribor, came to Hvar with their husbands in order to view the island's food, wine and olive oil production, to ascertain the state of organic agriculture, to gauge the costs of producing high quality goods, and what measures were in place for sustainable development of the island.

In Jelsa they experienced wine tastings with Andro Tomić and Ivo Duboković, and visited the Grabić bakery; in Vrboska they visited the Mihovil Stipišić's organic fruit and vegetable field; they also went for a hike in the countryside with Ivica Drinković, who introduced them to the island's wild edible and medicinal plants; near Gdinj they visited the Fjori Fora botanical garden under the expert guidance of Kristina Lazaneo; they visited Humac, where Keti and Jakov Franičević, whose family agricultural business is certified organic, explained their work methods; in Pitve they helped with the olive harvest, and then went to Bogomolje to see the fruit transformed into oil at Ivo Radojković's olive mill. Our guests expressed great satisfaction with the programme, and from our side we gained some valuable experiences. We hope that there will be further cooperation between our island and the IC Piramid College in the future. We give heartfelt thanks to all those who helped to make the visit a success.

3) Jelsa Municipality Prize. Our Association was especially honoured when Marija Marjan, the tireless Director of Jelsa's Tourist Board, nominated our President Vivian Grisogono for the 2021 Jelsa Municipality Prize. This award is a sign that the work of our Association is recognised and appreciated in our locality. As Vivian was unable to attend the awards ceremony on August 14th, the Council's Feast Day, Nada Kozulić, as Vice-President of the Association, stood in to receive the prize on behalf of Vivian and all the members and supporters of the Association. This was fitting, as Nada, with her legal expertise, was key to the founding of the Association.

4. FINANCIAL REPORT FOR 2021.

The Association's income during 2021 amounted to 17,018.00 kn, and the outgoings totalled 17,683.00 kn. On 01.01.2021 the balance was 5,818.00 kn carried over from the previous year, while on 31.12.2021 the account stood at 5,509.00 kn.

The Association's main expenditure is on animal care, accountant's fees and bank expenses. Donations are the Association's sole source of income.

The Financial Report was accepted nem. con.

5. PROPOSED PROGRAMME FOR 2022.

i. Education and raising awareness

We hope to be able to organize workshops and lectures, especially involving Mrs Andrea Vugrinović, who would have led a workshop on organic agriculture in 2020, but the pandemic prevented it.

If possible, we will organize activities for young people, to help their awareness of environmental issues and problems involving animals.

ii. Animals

We will continue our efforts to help animals in need, by supporting individuals who are engaged in this work, and by continuing our collaboration with the 'Bestie' Animal Shelter in Kaštel Sućurac.

We will try to establish contact with the Hunting Association, to persuade them to take an active part in ensuring that hunting dogs are treated properly and humanely, especially outside the hunting season.

We now have several cat feeders, and Norman Woollons from Dol has kindly designed and made some 'hutches' to house them, protecting against sunshine and rain. We aim to place them in safe locations, in agreement with the local authorities, according to last year's project to 'Save Hvar's Cats'. (Our petition had garnered 3281 signatures up to May 2022.) We will need to establish a network of volunteers to take care of the feeding stations, and are glad that each year we have been receiving more and more offers of help from local and visiting animal lovers.

As proposed by Sara Radonić at last year's meeting, once we have established the first feeding stations we will approach the various major shops for donations of food for cats (and dogs), especially through the provision of baskets by the tills where people can place food which they have bought for the purpose.

We will continue to work on establishing a temporary shelter for stray cats, which would function under the aegis of the 'Bestie' Animal Shelter. Sara's further suggestion that cat 'kennels' could be made from waste materials such as old tyres will certainly come to the fore when we have established basic conditions for the street cats.

We will of course continue our cooperation with the Bestie Animal Shelter. We will also continue to try to establish viable contact with the hunting authorities.

iii. Promotion of organic agriculture

We will continue to lobby against pesticide use, whether by public authorities or individuals,

at the same time continuing our support and promotion of producers and sellers of organic products on the island.

We recommend that all the island's Mayors should unite to reduce the use of pesticides, by supporting an education programme, and organizing financial benefits for organic producers, such as money to defray the costs of necessary machinery (for mulching, strimming, rotavating etc), soil testing, organic seeds and fertilizers. It would be extremely useful if the local authorities organized

testing of people and premises, such as we did in 2021, possibly correlating the results with the incidence of illnesses on the island.

iv. Support for eco-tourism initiatives such as Ecobnb will continue, building on the success of the first 'eco-friendly accommodation' on Hvar, managed by Eco Hvar supporter Vilma Plazonja.

We continue to support the Jelsa Tourist Board in developing hiking trails to encourage walking holidays on the island, specifically in the shoulder months. For this project to succeed, public pathways and tracks must be cleared and maintained, and the Hunting Association must publish details of the dates and times of all hunting activities. We also strongly recommend that in Jelsa a path for wheelchairs (and prams) should be created from the disabled parking spots across the Jelsa Park to the waterfront.

v. Cooperation with other charitable organizations

We will continue our collaboration with like-minded organizations at local, national and international levels. An important project for 2022 is the plan to create a 'factory' to process plastic waste into attractive items, also as an educational programme for children to participate in. This will be led by the Association 'Moj Škoj' ('My Island'), fronted by their Secretary Bianka Jakas. The project is the brainchild of the Japanese benefactor Ayumu Takahashi, who was introduced to Hvar by Yukiko Carić from Ivan Dolac.

The Meeting accepted the planned programme for 2022 nem con.

6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
There followed a discussion about the problems concerning the environment and animals on the island. Mr. and Mrs. Vojnović highlighted some particular problems in Brusje, and from the Charity's side we tried to suggest some possible solutions to alleviate the situation, although the Charity itself could sadly offer no concrete help..
 
The meeting concluded with President Vivian Grisogono thanking everyone who has helped the Association's efforts, whether financially or in any other way, through the past year. She also expressed gratitude to everyone present for their invaluable suggestions for improving the Association's work.
 
The meeting ended officially at 18:30.
 
Signed:

Marija Bunčuga, Secretary                                                                                                                                     Vivian Grisogono, President

 
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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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