Vlatko Rožac

Public Institution Kopački Rit Nature Park, Croatia, Koačevo · Science and research

Ecosystem services (ES) include all direct and indirect contributions of the ecosystem to the humanity well-being. They improve the life of not only humans but all other organisms, due to the interconnections of organisms in ecosystems as well as the dependence of organisms on the environment. ES are one of the strategic goals of the EU Biodiversit...

The regular winter waterbirds count is carried out every year in January as part of the international project IWC - International Waterbird Census. January is time when migratory birds are on their wintering grounds. Waterfowl occupy unfrozen water bodies to spend the winter there, so the best time to count them is when they are least likely to mov...

When studying the well-being and fitness of ichthyofauna in a specific area, vital information comes from length–weight relationships (LWRs) and condition factor analyses and calculations. Data were collected from 2015 to 2019 in an area important for fish shelter, feeding, and spawning. Twenty four species belonging to 10 different families were i...

Danube North of Kopački rit Nature Park (HR2001309) site represents significant area for species and habitat types (SCI) and also is a part of ecological network Natura 2000. Site is situated north from Kopački rit and it covers river Danube from Hungarian border, former dock Kazuk and Banovo hill, with a size of 13,729.93 ha. It comprises a part o...

Wild birds harbour a plethora of viruses but the research into them has mainly focused on those possessing zoonotic potential or causing significant economic losses in poultry, while others, such as astroviruses (AstVs), circoviruses (CV) and hepadnaviruses (HBV), remain neglected. In this study, 35 dead wild birds belonging to at least 21 species...

Breeding of White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla in Kopački rit Nature Park is known since 19th century and it is continuous until these days. Breeding population has reached its minimum of 11 pairs during 1976 due to pesticide use and persecution, but the area still served as an oasis that enabled survival of remaining individuals. With legal p...

The mammalian fauna of Nature Park Kopački rit includes 62 species, of which bats (Chiroptera) are particularly valuable. Bats represent an important link in the ecosystem. For example, they are important pollinators of certain plant species. Since bat diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, they control their numbers. Due to their...

Monitoring of the Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) and the Common house martin (Delichon urbicum) in the area of Nature Park Kopački rit has been carried out regularly since 2018, in accordance with the Protocol for monitoring of the Barn swallows and the House martins drawn up by the Nature Protection Institute in 2015. Swallows and martins are two...

The Republic of Croatia is one of the top European countries in terms of the number of mammal species. Out of total of 101 species, 90 are autochthonous, which position Croatia among 8 European countries with the highest mammal biodiversity. According to total number of mammal species in Europe (231 species), the fauna of Croatia makes up 44% of th...

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber L.) has been widespread throughout Europe in the past. The first record of the Eurasian beaver population in this area was given by Tabue in 1777 in his writings on the Kingdom of Slavonia and Srijem. At the end of the 19th century, species was endangered and almost disappeared throughout Europe and remained only i...

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra L.) is an autochthonous species in the mammal fauna of Croatia and is present in all geographical regions; continental, alpine and coastal. Through the middle of the 20th century, it was present in all major freshwater ecosystems. Although the population maintained through the Croatian territory, it disappeared from...

Monitoring of the butterfly Large Cooper (Lycaena dispar) in the Nature Park Kopački rit began in 2017 on three transects: ˝Kompleks Dvoraca Tikveš˝, ˝Podunavski kanali˝ and ˝Lanište˝, and from 2020 on ˝Šarkanj˝ (SCI HR2001309 Danube north from Kopački rit). Based on previous monitoring, the following has been determined: no individuals were record...

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most widely distributed (re-)emerging arboviruses. In Croatia, acute WNV infections as well as seropositivity were detected in humans, horses, birds and poultry. Although serologic evidence of WNV human infections dates back to the 1970s, no clinical cases were reported until 2012. WNV outbreaks, as well as spora...

The aim of the research is to collect data on the distribution and status of bird populations with reference to endangered and strictly protected species, environment indicator species such as woodpeckers (Piciformes) and water birds. Research area is part of the river Drava and Danube floodplain. It is characterized by floodplain forests of willow...

The first researches on the amphibian and reptile fauna in general originated in the late 19th century and continued in the second half of the 20th century until today. A complete overview of species is presented in a guide to biodiversity of Kopački rit. However, systematic monitoring of amphibian and reptile fauna in the Nature Park Kopački rit h...

The first studies on the amphibian and reptile fauna in general began in the late 19th century and continued in the second half of the 20th century until today. Monitoring of the condition and assessment of the distribution of the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis L.) in the area of Nature Park Kopački rit has not been done so far. The aim of...

Kopački rit is one of the most valuable areas in Europe based on its natural values. Although biodiversity is well researched, species ecology, physicochemical and other parameters of aquatic ecosystems are insufficiently researched. The main objectives of the project are the establishment of long-term management of aquatic ecosystems, improvement...

Ecosystem services represent all the natural values and benefits that nature provides to mankind. They include all direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. Ecosystem services are included in the Strategy and Action Plan for Nature Protection of the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2017 to 2025. The main goals of t...

Monitoring of the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber L.) in the Nature Park Kopački rit began in 2007. Data on population dynamics based on the establishment and use of family territories were collected. In 2020, number of 122 (121.5 ± 12.5) territories were recorded. Based on the multi-annual monitoring, it can be concluded that the population dynamics...

In September 2019, according to the Regulation on Ecological Network and Jurisdiction of the Public Institutions for Management with Areas of Ecological Network, the Public Institution Nature Park Kopački rit became management body of NATURA 2000 Site of Community Importance HR2001309 Dunav S od Kopačkog rita, and northern part of the Special Prote...

The Green Hawker (Aeshna viridis) is a Palearctic species with the western boundary of the range in Central Europe. A. viridis is a critically endangered species in Croatia. The only known site so far in Croatia is the old arm of the Drava River within the Repaš Forest in Podravina. The habitat of the Green Hawker is the stagnant water and wetlands...

European beaver is a strictly protected species in Croatia, which was extinct in Croatia during the 19th century because of the excessive hunting. It was reintroduced between 1996 and 1998 and since then its population has grown. The field surveys were carried out during 2018 and 2019 by the methods of visual searching of land and aquatic habitats....

Kopački rit Nature Park is a large fluvial-marshy floodplain, situated in the northeastern Croatia, between courses of the Danube and the Drava Rivers. Due to exceptional biological and ecological values of this floodplain area in the middle course of the Danube River, it had been protected since 1967; proclaimed as Nature Park in 1999 and from 201...

Kopački rit Nature Park is a large fluvial-marshy floodplain, situated in the northeastern Croatia, between courses of the Danube and the Drava Rivers. Due to exceptional biological and ecological values of this floodplain area in the middle course of the Danube River, it had been protected since 1967; proclaimed as Nature Park in 1999 and from 201...

In January 2014, the first ever comprehensive winter census of the Whitetailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla along the Danube River was conducted, using mostly point and transect counts. Altogether, 550-700 eagles were counted. The upper range of the estimate may in fact be more realistic because 615 km of the Danube were not surveyed. Birds were obse...