Urban Windows into Nature

Project summary 

Urban biodiversity is crucial for connecting people with nature and also serves as a powerful educational tool for bringing wildlife closer to people. This will be supported through new thematic programmes that include 18 educational programmes and 16 newly developed interpretative contents. Our specific role in the project focuses on creating new educational materials and delivering them throughout the project’s duration.

The NGO Biom is a project partner in an initiative that, among other objectives, aims to enhance biodiversity conservation in the City of Zagreb. Protecting biodiversity in large cities is of great importance for improving the quality of life of urban residents. This project establishes the foundations for creating a green infrastructure network that will improve the sustainable nature management system of the City of Zagreb. Furthermore, through the construction and renovation of 12 infrastructure facilities, the project will contribute to the development of a modern and integrated tourism offer for Zagreb.

Project Components Involving Biom

Ecosystem services encompass all direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. The ecosystem services of Maksimir Park and the Savica Significant Landscape will be addressed in an ecosystem services assessment study, which will for the first time systematically quantify the values that nature provides to people. The study will enable comparisons between the park and the surrounding urban environment (e.g., noise, microclimate) and assess the value of specific services the park provides (recreation, landscape value, aesthetics, cultural services, etc.). The study will also serve to strengthen the capacities and competencies of project partners on this topic and to raise public awareness through educational programmes and workshops.

Education and Interpretation

The focus of interpretation includes the protected natural values of Maksimir Park and Savica, as well as other protected areas of the City of Zagreb, and will be carried out ex situ, primarily in Maksimir Park. The interpretative content presents these values in a distinctive, innovative, and engaging manner, fostering public awareness of protected natural heritage and promoting coexistence with nature.

Educational Programmes Developed by Biom

• Volunteer programmes – designed for all interested adult visitors who wish to enrich their life experience by participating directly in nature conservation activities and forming lasting connections with natural elements
• Programmes for students and secondary school pupils – fieldwork and research programmes for university students, particularly in natural and biotechnical sciences, as well as other interested students, and for pupils of vocational secondary schools and natural science grammar schools
• Birds – focus on birdlife in the City of Zagreb, with special emphasis on bird song identification, bird biodiversity, and the importance of protected areas for this group of animals
• Birds of Savica – intended for small groups and conducted under expert guidance to control visitor numbers in the Savica Significant Landscape, which has exceptional value for urban biodiversity conservation, especially for birds
• Night Wildlife Tour – a tour interpreting the nocturnal animal life in Maksimir Park. Participants will have access to all necessary equipment, including flashlights and devices such as bat detectors, and will explore Maksimir’s nightlife under professional guidance
• Ecosystem services – this programme focuses on raising awareness of the benefits that nature provides to people, collectively known as ecosystem services
• Invasive alien species – raising visitor awareness of the problems caused by invasive alien species in nature conservation

A list of species observed or heard during birdwatching activities in Maksimir and Savica can be found here.

In addition to the educational and interpretative activities involving Biom, the project also includes major infrastructure works in Maksimir Park and the Zagreb Zoo, led by the City of Zagreb, the Zagreb Zoological Garden Institution, and the Public Institution Maksimir. The City of Zagreb, as the project leader, together with the institutions where the works will take place, has obtained all necessary permits for the prepared project documentation (including the decision of the Ministry of Environment and Energy on the requirement to conduct an environmental and ecological network impact assessment procedure).