The Crna Mlaka Ornithological Reserve is a large lowland forested area, with pedunculate oak (Quercus petraea), and due to its unique hydrographic and vegetation characteristics, as well as the richness of bird species, it is of exceptional European and world value.
Basic information: Ponds in the Pokupski basin near Jastrebarsko, surrounded by floodplain pedunculate oak forests.
Significant for migratory and wintering birds.
The area of the ornithological reserve and its immediate surroundings are under the strict protection of the Natura 2000 eco network: three habitat types present on the site and assessment for them, three pecies referred to in Article 4 of Directive 2009/147/EC and listed in Annex II of Directive 92/43/EEC and site evaluation for them and two important species of flora and fauna.
In addition to the protection of the international Natura 2000 network, the Crna Mlaka Ornithological Reserve is included in the so-called Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance, especially as a habitat for wetland birds.
Most of the forest area is managed by the state company Hrvatske šume d.o.o.
A review of the terrain, satellite images and recorded video material clearly shows non-compliance with the Nature 2000 Directives, i.e. a significant increase in the area of systematic deforestation from 2013 until today.
According to the reports of our activists during 2019, we visited Crna Mlaka several times, recorded numerous devastations, and the analysis of satellite programs established the total observed devastation from 2009 to 2019 is 3,242.7 ha (32,427,000 m2).
Since deforestation continued after 2019, we visited Crna Mlaka again in 2021 and documented 23 new deforestation fields, with a total area of 540 ha, which together with the deforestation from 2009 to 2019 amounts to a total of 3,782.7 ha (for comparison, it is about 7,565 football fields!)
During 2021, Crna Mlaka was visited by the co-chair of the European Green Party, Thomas Waitz.
On that occasion, he personally verified the truthfulness of the claims made by the Green Squad regarding the serious devastation of the forests in the ornithological reserve. He then sent an official complaint about the “alarming state of the forests in the Special Ornithological Reserve Crna Mlaka” to the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries.
The management plans under which the state-owned company Croatian Forests Ltd. has been conducting ecocide in the Special Ornithological Reserve Crna Mlaka for years have been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, as well as the Forestry Inspection of the State Inspectorate of the Republic of Croatia.
For a more detailed analysis of deforestation, see HERE.
