News
This spring, Međimurje Nature – Public Institution for Nature Protection (JU MP), organised a clean-up of a meadow near the village of Goričan within the Donje Međimurje Natura 2000 site. This area is protected due to its lowland hay meadows and its status as a habitat for the critically endangered Large Blue butterfly (Phengaris teleius and Phengaris nausithous).
Ivana Horvat, Senior Project Management Associate and action leader, explained that the team focused on removing species that were beginning to take over the meadow.
We removed the invasive goldenrod (Solidago), which had spread widely across the plot. We also cleared blackberry (Rubus), a native species which signals meadow succession and is therefore undesirable here. When a meadow is not maintained, typically by mowing once or twice a year, woody and invasive species start to spread. This meadow had not been mown for years and had become heavily overgrown, so we decided to restore it. We are now restarting regular maintenance, and this action was an additional step towards improving biodiversity. This plot is especially valuable because large blue butterflies have been recorded here. Despite the overgrowth, great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) was still present.
The joint field day is part of the project’s wider activities, which include the planned purchase of four hectares of land to be restored and managed as species-rich meadows.