ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Cigoc, Croatia's only and one of Europe's six 'stork villages', on Saturday celebrated the sixth anniversary of its ecological title, granted by the European Foundation for Environmental Protection. A hundred
and twenty pairs of rare black and 780 pairs of white storks inhabit Croatia. In Europe, where the number of storks is decreasing, only 700 pairs of white storks inhabit developed countries. The countries of East and Central Europe have much better statistics - some 100,000 pairs of white storks inhabit those countries. The 'stork village' Cigoc is located about 60 kilometres south-east of Zagreb, in the nature park Lonjsko Polje, which is inhabited by as many as 240 species of birds. Cigoc has more storks than villagers - 210 white storks live in 45 nests and 120 villagers live in 74 households. Today's ceremony in Cigoc, held under the auspices of President Stipe Mesic and
ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Cigoc, Croatia's only and one of Europe's
six 'stork villages', on Saturday celebrated the sixth anniversary
of its ecological title, granted by the European Foundation for
Environmental Protection.
A hundred and twenty pairs of rare black and 780 pairs of white
storks inhabit Croatia. In Europe, where the number of storks is
decreasing, only 700 pairs of white storks inhabit developed
countries.
The countries of East and Central Europe have much better
statistics - some 100,000 pairs of white storks inhabit those
countries.
The 'stork village' Cigoc is located about 60 kilometres south-east
of Zagreb, in the nature park Lonjsko Polje, which is inhabited by
as many as 240 species of birds. Cigoc has more storks than
villagers - 210 white storks live in 45 nests and 120 villagers live
in 74 households.
Today's ceremony in Cigoc, held under the auspices of President
Stipe Mesic and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and
Zoning, was attended by numerous holiday-makers and
representatives of the other five European stork villages from
Hungary, Germany, Romania, Spain and Slovenia.
The guests enjoyed a rich entertainment and educational
programme.
President Mesic's envoy, Sisak Mayor Darko Pavlak, thanked the
representatives of the other five European stork villages for
coming to Cigoc and agreeing on the presentation of a project by
European stork villages to the European Union and international
community.
The guests at today's event were greeted also by the Minister of
Environmental Protection and Zoning, Bozo Kovacevic, who said
Cigoc had been declared an European stork village on June 24 1994.
On that day, a renown German biologist and ecologist, Dr. Martin
Schneider-Jacoby, handed a document granting Cigoc a stork village
title to the then Minister of Construction and Environmental
Protection and incumbent Parliament Speaker, Zlatko Tomcic.
Dr. Schneider-Jacoby, who discovered the untouched nature of
Lonjsko Polje and its white storks, attended the ceremony as well.
(hina) rml