BRIJUNI (BRIONI) ISLANDS EXPANSION OF NATIONAL PARK BORDERS

BRIJUNI (BRIONI) ISLANDS
EXPANSION OF NATIONAL PARK BORDERS

The expansion of the National Park borders means the inclusion of the islands of Sveti Jerolim and Kozada, as well as a part of the Fazana Channel in the protected zone. In accordance with the National Park provisions, the renewed islands of the Brijuni should be at the "top of the pyramid of Istrian and Croatian tourism"

The parliamentary deputies of the Chamber of Counties adopted the Draft Amendments to the Brioni National Park Act. The borders of Brioni would be expanded to the islands of Sveti Jerolim and Kozada, and to a part of the Fazana Channel. According to the amendments, the name Brioni should officially be changed to Brijuni.  According to the explanation of the amendments' sponsors, the amendments will not expand the borders, but only correct 616h79g a past oversight. In other words, they intend to "determine and specify the National Park borders correctly, since the current border demarcation and its establishment was not in accordance with the area protected within the National Park." Even Article 4 of the Government Decree on the Brijuni Public Company of 1991 stipulates that the two aforementioned islands are part of the Brijuni National Park.
Therefore, according to the explanation, the Brijuni have not been expanded, only the borders have been shifted and demarcated correctly.

The deputies of the Chamber of Counties engaged in much debate over the new borders of Brioni and the new name Brijuni. A majority of remarks focused on the demand to change the borders of the National Park, because this would allegedly change the current regime of use of the islets of Sveti Jerolim and Kozada and of the Fazana Channel at the expense of local inhabitants. Since entry into and departure from the National Park should be under control, some representatives assume that this would mean a reduction of the navigation corridor for local inhabitants, who use it for fishing and tourism.  As to similar problems of restricted movement and the protests of local inhabitants, problems also arose   this summer after the publication of newspaper articles complaining about the extensive military presence in the area.

The deputies proposed that the issue of the status of the Brijuni should finally be resolved by a special law, and not by individual decrees, particularly after the decrees of 1983 and 1991. 

It is interesting that the islet of Sveti Jerolim has been mentioned in the Program and Proposed Use of the Brijuni National Park, elaborated in accordance with government instructions and implemented by the Ministry of Tourism. As part of the reconstruction plans, the devastated islet of Sveti Jerolim should be a special zone. The remains of a Slovenian resort center with wooden cabins and, as mentioned, other inappropriate facilities are still situated on the islet. The cabins should be removed, and only three stone houses would be used. According to the plan, Sveti Jerolim should become a central entertainment and recreation center in the area.

A starting point for the entire program is to open the Brijuni islands to the public, to develop elite tourism and to make 85 percent of the area accessible to the public. A residential part would be reduced to the remaining 15 percent after removing the army. The zoo and a safari park have already been removed because the program sponsors think that the large number of animals constitutes an attack on the Brijuni ecosystem. The program creators are planning to finish the works by 2005, and to open the Brijuni immediately after the program is accepted. According to Tourism Minister Sergej Morsan, the renovated islands of the Brijuni should be at the "top of the pyramid of Istrian and Croatian tourism." 

To recall, the Brijuni are the most diverse and interesting island group in Istria. There are 14 islands with a total area of 7.3 square kilometers. Only one island, Veliki Brijun, accounts for the largest part of the land area, about three quarters. However, the largest part of the National Park includes the sea, so that the total area of the National Park accounts for 36.3 square kilometers. All the main natural characteristics of western Istria can be found on the Brijuni islands, since they are a geomorphologic continuation of the peninsula. Favorable pedologic circumstances, combined with abundant atmospheric moisture throughout the year, are important preconditions for luxuriant vegetation on the islands. The largest areas are covered with macchia (261 ha), which is even eight meters high at some places. Meadows cover 124 ha, parks 118 ha, holm-oak forests 68 ha, holm-oak and laurel forests 48 ha, and conifer forests 18 ha. All smaller islands are almost completely covered with macchia, so that other mentioned categories refer to Veliki Brijun exclusively. Almost one half of Veliki Brijun is covered with landscape parks and meadows. This is a characteristic that makes this island special on the Croatian coast, and this impression is most frequently remembered after a visit to the island. The National Park's cultural and historical heritage is comparable to the natural heritage, which was an influential factor in proclaiming it a national park.

Some monuments date back to the Neolithic period, others include the summer residences of Roman emperors, a Byzantine castrum, a basilica with three naves, medieval sacral and lay facilities, as well as a nineteenth century fortification. The Brijuni became a tourist Mecca of Europe very early. The first guests were registered by the end of the nineteenth century, and written sources confirm that, after the Roman emperors, numerous princes, princesses, archdukes, industrialists and statesmen visited the islands. The dates of their visits prove that the "high season" lasted over the course of the entire year.