ZAGREB, 21 Nov, 2021 - Addressing an informal online meeting of EU tourism ministers last Tuesday, Croatian Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac spoke about a new Croatian reforestation plan that is being launched by three ministries.

In line with the Paris Agreement, the EU has pledged to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and of the numerous projects to be launched by the Croatian government, one of the first projects is related to tourism. A reforestation project for the period until 2030 is expected to result in the planting of around one million trees every year to compensate for a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by tourists arriving by car, said Brnjac.

The reforestation project is being launched by the Tourism and Sports Ministry in cooperation with the ministries of economy and sustainable development and agriculture.

Brnjac also said that the making of a joint long-term plan of work of the EU must be accompanied by the availability of specific and continued EU funds for the sustainable development of tourism.

The informal meeting of EU tourism officials, held as part of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU, focused on plans for activities and the adoption of a European Agenda for Tourism 2030-2050.

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November 18, 2021 - Reuters reported on an innovative scheme that will reforest Croatia, especially in forests that are difficult to access.

Namely, seed-scattering drones are crisscrossing Croatia's skies in an airborne attempt to replant remote forests damaged by fire, an initiative its backers aim to promote internationally, reports Reuters.

The tactic is not new, but the venture in Croatia disperses seeds in larger containers than those seen elsewhere -- the size of a golf ball -- releasing ingredients to form a favourable micro-environment for a seed to take root, its creators say.

"Besides an acorn, we also put sand, grass, clay, and chili inside", said Goran Ladisic, one of the leaders of the Magic Forest Company running the project.

"Importantly, we include chili in the mix to deter wild animals -- in case of an oak to deter wild boars from eating the seeds."

Croatia's summer forest fires often happen in areas hard to reach on foot, so the airborne method makes sense, project leaders say. This week Magic Forest dispersed the seed balls in the Promina municipality of the country.

"We opted for this innovative method as we have had a lot of forest fires in our area, the last big one in 2009, and what's growing now are just low bushes," said Tihomir Budanko, the mayor of the Promina municipality.

The venture has been in development for more than two years. Ladisic said that in tests, more than 40 percent of the seeds dispersed had managed to take root.

Ivan Vidakovic, who controls the drone flights, said that in eight hours, using four or five drones, the project can cover about 10 hectares (24 acres).

The idea is to replant an area with trees native to it, and while the project so far has used only the seeds of various types of oak, it says it can work with any tree seed.

Magic Forest says it has been in contact with partners in Ukraine, Bosnia, Montenegro, Austria, and California with a view to deploying the product next year.

The Croatian innovators also aim to take part in a European Union drive to plant three billion additional trees by 2030 to fight climate change and biodiversity loss.

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