[ad_1]
The fire destroyed a third of the reserve, including more than 300 hectares of land.
The flora and fauna were completely destroyed in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday in the part of Mali Kopovo, a freshwater lake, and partly in another part called “Between Kopovo”, which separates this lake from Slano Kopovo, writes Blic.
Only thanks to the great sacrifice of the firefighters, the very heart of the reserve has been preserved, the reeds near Slani Kopov, which are in the first category of protection. If the fire had managed to spread only one meter more, the reeds would have been burned and two-thirds of the reserves would have been destroyed.
The fire swallowed 300 hectares of reed and 30 hectares of grass that were ready to receive the cranes in 4 to 5 hours. Twelve firefighters from Novi Becej and Novi Milosev put out the fire with four vehicles. The intervention lasted more than two hours, until the fire was contained and the fire was controlled.
The fire is supposed to have started, because, as reserve experts say, this season, after more than 15 years, for the first time, no farmers set fire to their fields in the vicinity of Slano Kopovo. Criminal charges are expected to be brought against unidentified individuals.
– The damage would have been even greater if the hunters had not returned from hunting and reported the fire. Much of the vegetation has been destroyed. The exact assessment of the damage to flora and fauna will be determined later by the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Nature. The fire was also reported to the Secretary of Urbanism and Environmental Protection. Fires were known to have occurred in previous years, but they had never been so catastrophic. There are always theories that someone intentionally lit a stubble or started a fire, but we can’t point a finger at anyone specifically, said Darko Lazarević, a biologist at this nature reserve.
He adds that the damage to the ecosystem is inestimable, thousands of small animals and insects have been destroyed. Charred tortoises that were unable to escape the catastrophe can be seen on the burned surfaces. Wild geese, ducks and cranes will hardly visit Kopovo this year, both due to the lack of water and the burned surface.
Slano Kopovo is a unique water area in the north of Banat and one of the last preserved salt lakes in Vojvodina, it is a natural pearl that is home to up to 220 species of birds. It is a 1st category natural property of exceptional national importance and in 2004 it was included in the list of aquatic habitats of international importance according to the Ramsar Convention.
It is known as a unique gathering place for rare and strictly protected bird species during the autumn migration along the Adriatic route, where up to 20,000 cranes gather annually. The drying of the lake is a natural process because it maintains the level of salt and it is desirable that it happens once every five or ten years, but it is not good that it happens every year, which we are witnessing due to climate change.
(Flash)
Follow us through iOS and Android apps
[ad_2]
