We held a workshop “Synthesis of Challenges Encountered by Local Nature Conservation Actors” on 17 February 2026 at Lake Rakitje (Croatia)

Within the framework of the international CLIMANATRES project, supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union, our partner, Zeleni prsten Public Institution of Zagreb County, organized the workshop entitled “Synthesis of Challenges Encountered by Local Nature Conservation Actors” on 17 February 2026 at Lake Rakitje in Croatia.

The workshop brought together around 40 participants — representatives of partner organizations from Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Serbia, as well as numerous local and regional experts and other stakeholders working in nature protection, habitat management, and ecosystem restoration.

Following the opening address delivered by Tatjana Masten Milek, PhD, Director of Zeleni prsten Public Institution of Zagreb County, several presentations were given to the participants. Key project activities (both completed and planned), pilot areas, current legislation, and other related tasks were presented by experts from partner institutions:

• Imelda Somodi, Project Leader from the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, from Hungary,
• Luka Basrek from the Public Institution Zeleni prsten of Zagreb County from Croatia,
• Marija Sabolić from the Institute for Environment and Nature from Croatia,
• Miha Varga from the Slovenian Forestry Service
• Katarina Barnjak from the Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Croatia

The main goal of the workshop was to jointly identify the practical challenges faced by local and regional actors in nature conservation, to exchange experiences and institutional perspectives, and to define the actual needs of end-users. Emphasis was placed on gathering feedback regarding the future maps and tools being developed within the project, ensuring that they are as practical, applicable, and useful as possible in everyday work.

Participants actively contributed to the discussions, and the conclusions and recommendations from the workshop will be directly incorporated into the further implementation of the CLIMANATRES project.