Project manager Tomislav Hudina

The Dinara back to LIFE project received the prestigious Yellow Frame award in the category “Eradicating hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture”, at the recent awards ceremony held in Zagreb. The Yellow Frame Awards were divided into 17 categories according to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the award ceremony itself was held under the slogan “Sustainable Croatia – Live and act in harmony with nature today”. The Yellow Frame Award for Sustainable Development, Science and Education is awarded by Adria Media Zagreb and National Geographic Croatia.
“We gain with your work, your genius, we want you to continue to inspire us with your work” – the editor in chief of National Geographic Croatia, Hrvoje Prćić 17 said in his introductory speech, thanking and congratulating all the nominees and winners. In 17 categories with three nominees in each, the nominated were individuals and organizations that fight for a better world in various ways – protection and research of the sea, waste management, organic farming, renewable energy, protection of endangered birds, helping the people in need and many others who want a more sustainable tomorrow. At the awards ceremony, editor Prćić also emphasized that he considers the nominees and winners of the Yellow Frame Awards to be real “influencers” in today’s society.

The winners and the nominees of the Yellow Frame awards

One of the main activities of the project is certainly aimed at nature conservation through sustainable use, which in practice means that our goal is to encourage the development of extensive cattle-breeding, beekeeping and other activities that contribute to maintaining Dinaric grasslands and improving habitat conditions for many wild species dependent on large open habitats. Through the project, in addition to restoring grassland by removing unwanted woody vegetation, we also restore ponds, wells, dry stone walls and roads, organize round tables and trainings, develop business plans for farmers, improve the tourist infrstructure. We are also trying to improve grasslands management practices through cooperation with relevant institutions and development of guidelines for dry grassland management. We hope that the results of the project will be more cattle-breeders and more livestock in larger areas under grasslands, more pairs of target birds, more successful family farms, a wider tourist offer – a revived Dinara!
The deserving for the Yellow Frame award are all members of the project partnership – Croatian Forestry, LAG Cetinska Krajina, Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb and the Biom Association as the leading partner – but also project associates from various sectors. We thank the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of economy and sustainable development from the project Advisory Council who direct the project, as well as members of the Cooperation Council – hunters, mountaineers, tourism workers, beekeepers, local government, partner associations and individuals who expand the project with their proposals and ideas. We thank all the volunteers who participated in the Dinara camp and in the activities carried out so far through the project and all the others who helped and are still doing so to help carry out the project as intended and to achieve its fundamental goal – preserving nature through sustainable use.

In conversation with Robert Kakarigi, the member of the Yellow Frame award jury

We would also like to thank Adria Media Zagreb and National Geographic Croatia for this award for recognizing and rewarding our will and motivation and desire for sustainability on the Dinara. The Yellow Frame Award obliges us to continue the project at least at this pace, and hopefully stronger!

It is interesting to note that the Biom Association received the Yellow Frame Award in 2019 in the Life on Land category, so this new recognition is even dearer to us, because winning the award once may be a coincidence, but twice is a pattern, so it is an additional confirmation, recognition and an incentive for us to be even better.