Major Fire Hits Neretva Wetland Bird Reserve

The news in Croatian

1. ornitološki
   koji se odnosi na ptice i na znanstveno proučavanje ptica ↩︎
2. rezervat  (m.)
   zaštićeno područje prirode namijenjeno očuvanju biljnih i životinjskih vrsta ↩︎
3. trska  (f.)
   visoka, tanka močvarna biljka koja raste uz vode ↩︎
4. močvaran
   koje se odnosi na močvaru; puno vode i blata, stalno vlažno ↩︎
5. raslinje  (n.)
   skup svih biljaka koje rastu na nekom području ↩︎
6. stanište  (n.)
   mjesto u prirodi gdje živi neka životinjska ili biljna vrsta ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What did the firefighters do during the night at the Orepak bird reserve?

Question 2: What are experts worried about after the fire?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
ornitološki	ornithological
rezervat  (m.)	reserve
trska  (f.)	reeds
močvaran	marshy
raslinje  (n.)	vegetation
stanište  (n.)	habitat

Read the full story

A large wildfire has damaged the Orepak ornithological reserve in the Neretva River valley in southern Croatia, a protected wetland internationally recognised for its importance to birdlife. The blaze broke out on Monday afternoon and burned through reed beds and marsh vegetation before being brought under control during the night.

According to regional fire commanders, around ten to twenty firefighters with several vehicles were first deployed from the public fire brigade in Metković and the volunteer units of Kula Norinska, later joined by additional crews including DVD Vid. Strong winds and the marshy, inaccessible terrain made their work difficult, and firefighters said they could not reach the central wetland area where the fire was spreading through reeds and sedge.

Fire officials reported that their first priority was to protect people and property. They stated that nearby houses were not directly threatened, but they worked to prevent the flames from spreading towards a neighbouring forest. Firefighters monitored the blaze overnight and intervened wherever the terrain allowed.

In the early hours of Tuesday, conditions improved when heavy rain arrived. The commander of the Metković public fire brigade, Jure Pilj, said that a strong shower around 3 a.m. helped extinguish the remaining fire fronts. Crews then put out the last burning edges and withdrew at about 5 a.m., reporting that there was no more open fire in the reserve.

The Orepak reserve, near the village of Vid, covers around 100 hectares. It has been protected since 1974 and, as part of the Neretva Delta, has been listed since 1993 as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The area is particularly significant as a nesting and resting site for wetland birds.

Environmental experts and nature protection groups warn that the damage to bird habitats is likely to be severe. The fire struck just as many species were beginning their nesting season. Several dozen hectares of reeds and sedge are reported to have burned, and conservationists fear that repeated fires could cause long-term harm to the Neretva delta ecosystem, which they say is already under pressure.

Local media note that this is the second fire in the wetland area in about ten days. Spring fires in the Neretva marshes occur regularly. Environmental organisations and scientists argue that burning reed beds is a serious threat to biodiversity, affecting plants, animals and the quality of life for local residents. They also stress that reed beds are crucial for water purification, flood regulation and climate change mitigation.

Some reports suggest that fires in previous years have often been linked, in public opinion, to people burning reeds deliberately, for example to clear land. However, local hunting associations strongly reject accusations that hunters are responsible. In this case, the police have opened an investigation and are examining the circumstances and possible causes of the fire. At the time of reporting, it is not known whether the blaze was started accidentally, deliberately or by natural causes.

Authorities state that a full assessment of the environmental damage will only be possible after a detailed inspection of the area. For now, fire and conservation services agree that the loss to the sensitive wetland habitat and its bird populations is expected to be very high, even though human settlements were spared.

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