A year-long national media campaign "Listen to the Voice of Nature" was launched in Split on Wednesday on World Oceans Day, observed on 8 June, and it will include a series of events aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and understanding the role of Natura 2000.

Public institutions from all over Croatia presented themselves on Wednesday as part of the campaign organized by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

The ministry wants to encourage a positive change in citizens’ attitudes and habits. A number of activities have already been presented during the year by the Krka and Brijuni National Parks, Lonjsko Polje, Lastovo Islands and Vrana Lake Nature Parks, as well as public institutions in Sibenik-Knin, Karlovac, Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia counties, and the Sunce (Sun) NGO.

According to an analysis of over five hundred species, 47% of habitats and species are not in a good condition, Aljosa Duplic, the director of the ministry’s Institute for Environmental Protection and Nature told Hina.

“The sea is not in a good condition, and we can see this every day. We are continuously recording the arrival of some new species and their impact. Forests are not in a good condition either. In the continental part, we have a very big problem with more than 30,000 hectares of ash tree forests drying up, “Duplic said.