The Croatian Nature Park Kopacki Rit

Kopacki Rit is a nature park located in the eastern part of Croatia, within the Baranja area. It is also situated near the country's border to Serbia. In 1993, it was designated as a Wetland of International Importance, considered to be the largest of its kind in the continent.

This designation stems from the fact that the park supports a large number of wildlife species, including birds, and lush vegetation. Among the birds frequently sighted in the area are wild ducks, wild geese, black storks, white storks, white-tailed eagles, seagulls, terns, and kingfishers. The area also bears the moniker as the pearl of the Drava, being located along the river Drava. This Croatian nature park is home to numerous animal species, even the rare and endangered ones. This has lead to the designation of a part of Kopacki Rit as a special zoological reserve. In fact, a lot of effort and research have been done to document the species living in the area. Another example of the ecological importance of the park is during spring when the flooding of the wetland occurs. It is during this time that freshwater fishes from the Danube river come to the area to spawn. Because of this, Kopacki Rit enjoys a special status granted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is also during spring that the whole area comes alive with the cacophony of noise made by thousands of frogs.

Guided Tours - The Best Way To Explore The Park

Most explorations of the park are done through organized tours, where visitors are lead away from some of the dangerous parts of the park. In these parts, de-mining is still an ongoing process. Most of these tours are organized and depart from the city of Osijek, and may include outdoor activities like boating, hiking, and fishing during the designated months. Interested visitors only need to inquire with licensed tour operators to know of the activities awaiting them.

Since this park is also located on the confluence of the rivers Drava and Danube, much of the wetland is influenced heavily by these bodies of water. The periodic inundation and recession of water has led to a dynamic landscape of the Kopacki Rit. There are also several lakes that add to the uniqueness of this environment. The biodiversity and unique ecosystem supported by this park are the factors that contribute to its ecological value. After the period of fish spawning, birds flock to the wetland to feast on the smaller fishes and to mate. Animals such as otters and boars also feast on the amphibians and fishes left behind when the water recedes. This is also the time when vegetation proliferates, with the soil rich with minerals left behind by the floodwater.

The area is also home to numerous plant species, some of which found nowhere else in Europe and in the world. Though the area has suffered damages due to armed conflicts in the country, there is still no arguing of the ecotourism potential of Kopacki Rit. This fact is well recognized by its local administrators and foreign organizations seeking to preserve this wetland for posterity.

By: Croatia Travel Guide

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Tobias is the editor of www.croatia-travel-guide.net - an information portal around Croatia. More information about the natural beauty of Croatia can be found at Plitvice Lakes National Park Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.