Krka through the lens of 2024: a golden award for forty years of enviromental protection and sustainable development

Krka through the lens of 2024: a golden award for forty years of enviromental protection and sustainable development
The Krka National Park is celebrating yet another successful year of preserving the natural and cultural heritage and cooperation with the local community, while preparing to celebrate a significant anniversary in 2025.

The end of this year has once again confirmed that we have an international pearl in our county: The Krka National Park won the Green Destinations Gold Award for sustainable tourism in 2024. This prestigious award, the first of its kind ever given to Croatia and only the second for national parks worldwide, is a confirmation of dedicated work on preserving nature, protecting the cultural heritage, and development within the local community. Such recognition will further motivate the team at the Krka National Park to continue developing sustainable practices and to set an example for other protected areas in Croatia and the world as a whole. The year was also marked by significant steps in making connections between the local community and nature. In cooperation with the Open University of Knin, a beekeeping training program was successfully implemented, thanks to which thirteen participants gained new knowledge in promoting organic production and preserving biodiversity, and this program will continue next year. In addition, the Park has improved access to certain sites by opening a new parking lot above Roški slap waterfall, with free transportation for visitors to attractions on the middle reaches of the Krka River. This initiative has not only enriched the visitor experience, but also further protected the sensitive environment from excessive traffic congestion.

The international Erasmus+ project "Increasing Environmental Awareness among Young People from Protected Areas" brought together partners from Croatia, Latvia, and Finland, who met last year as part of three study visits, during which they also worked on establishing the protocol for the Junior Ranger environmental protection program. At the same time, the volunteer programs "Cleaning the Krka River " and "Indigenous Species Habitat Guardian" brought together numerous volunteers from all over Croatia in a joint effort to preserve the Park's natural features, from underwater cleaning of Visovac Lake to the protection of rare plant and animal species.

This year, the Krka National Park participated in the European campaign "Growing Together", as part of which a thousand lavender and bay laurel seedlings were distributed at Skradinski buk waterfall on International Labor Day. This campaign was part of joint efforts to achieve the goal of planting three billion trees on the Old Continent by 2030, which will contribute to mitigating climate change and restoring biodiversity.

Particularly moving was the care taken of the turtle named the Phoenix of the Krka, who was returned to nature after rescue and recovery, which symbolizes responsible behavior towards wild animals. The Krka National Park and the Šibenik Paws association marked the continuation of their cooperation in promoting animal protection, this time by expanding their initiative to include cats: they concluded an agreement according to which every person who adopts a dog or cat cared for by the Šibenik Paws association would receive a free one-year membership in the Friends of the Krka Club. With a message about the importance of preserving biodiversity, the exhibition "The Krka in Bloom" was held at Skradinski buk waterfall, which presented the rare and endemic plants of this protected area to visitors.

The Park's cultural heritage was also presented at the Ides of Burnum event, which has been held every August for years. At this year's Ides, visitors could enjoy interactive performances and a musical concert at the Burnum archaeological site, as well as the award-winning documentary When I Remember the Krka – The Smell of Bread, which won the Intermedia Globe Gold Award at the World Media Festival.

In this year, special attention has been paid to those who visit the Park out of season: from November 2024 to the end of March 2025, the ticket price for adults is 7 euros and for children 4 euros. This marks an ideal opportunity to enjoy natural beauties such as the waterfalls of Skradinski buk and Roški slap, and the also the Krka Eco Campus in Puljane, where accommodation is also available, in a peaceful environment, far from the summer crowds.

We are extremely pleased to announce that at the end of the year, the first sighting of the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) was recorded in the Krka National Park, increasing the bird population in the Park to as many as 230 species.

On the eve of its 40^th birthday, which will be celebrated starting in January 2025 and will continue throughout the year, the Krka National Park looks back with pride on all that has been achieved in these four decades. Celebrating this significant anniversary will be an opportunity to remember the journey we have made, but also to look towards the future, in which sustainability, education, and cooperation will remain fundamental values.

We wish all employees, visitors, and friends a Merry and Blessed Christmas and a successful 2025, with a call to continue to protect and love our unique Krka River together!