A new 3-year project will revamp Biokovo Nature Park.
In April this year, a Grant Contract was signed for the project “New Adrion – Promoting the Sustainable Use of Natural Heritage at PP Biokovo”. The realization of this project will mean a completely new approach to the valorization and market use of the Biokovo Nature Park. Part of the project could be realized next season, reports Dalmacija Danas on August 7, 2018.
Among other things, the project will introduce buses to organize tourists to Biokovo, which will lead to an increase in the number of visitors, while reducing the number of cars in the nature park and air pollution.
One of the most impressive parts of the project is the new ‘skywalk’ glass platform which will be located across the edge of the Biokovo cliff.
JU PP Biokovo
Project leader and director of the Biokovo Nature Park, Velimir Vidak Buljan, spoke to Dalmacija Danas about the project in its entirety.
What is the project, what is its value and what will it bring to Biokovo visitors?
The project is the “New Adrion – Promoting the sustainable use of natural heritage at PP Bikovo”. The total maximum projected cost of the project is 34,183,407.30 kuna for which MRRFEU grants were approved for 27,235,490.42 kuna and the grant funds of the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency for 2,846,438.45 kuna.
Project partners are the Public Agency of the Makarska Development Agency – MARA and the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service – HGSS. The project brings new quality and changes the model of visits through a completely new, sustainable Biokovo Nature Park, which will reduce the number of visits to the park by car, organize group visits, provide alternative transportation models to the park, increase the attractiveness of the park and the level of security of visitors.
The project plans to:
– Purchase 2 shuttle buses limiting the entry of personal cars into the park and visitors would be transported to individual locations on Biokovo.
– Purchase 15 electric and 15 regular bicycles that would be at the service of visitors.
– Reconstruct the white road Staza-Saranec (Rodiceva cesta), which would be arranged as a family walking-biking trail in the length of approximately 7 kilometers.
– Arrange Visitor Circuits and so on.
– At the entrance to the park: 2 types of objects (info point and souvenir shop), a double station of smart waste containers (smart belly).
– Ravna Vlaška: 1 panoramic telescope, 1 smart waste container (smart belly).
– Vošac: 1 type object (info point), 1 panoramic telescope, 1 picnic area, 1 school in nature.
– Sv. Jure: 1 type object (info point), 2 panorama telescopes, 1 smart waste container (smart belly).
– Path (Podglogovik): 2 types of objects (surveillance and souvenir shop), games, 3 booths, 1 smart waste container (smart belly), panoramic telescope.
– Saranač (Miočevići): 1 type object (surveillance).
– Biokovska road: reconstruct 10 rest areas.
– Set up 32 signaling boards and 3 signaling boards for the blind.
– Reconstruct old school in Župa into a new nature center park, which is also the most valuable part of the project.
– Construct the skywalk in the Ravna Vlaška area.
– Setting up 8 outdoor screens in eight outdoor locations – public areas in Makarska (4), Podgora (2), Brela (1), Baška Voda (2), owned by local self-government units.
– Set up 8 indoor screens within 8 hotels in the Makarska Riviera – Hotel Miramare, Hotel Park, Dalmatia, Berulia, Biokovo, Soline, Riviera, Meteor.
This is just part of the project’s activity, but I think it shows just how comprehensive it is and how much change it will bring to the sustainable use of the park. The project will last for 3 years, from 2018 until 2021, when we expect the entire project to be implemented.
What makes the ‘skywalk’ unique and when is its opening expected?
The Skywalk is unique because there is no similar building at the level of all national and nature parks in Croatia, therefore, it certainly represents the backbone of the new Biokovo visitor offer. It encompasses arranging the plateau, the geological column and the skywalk in a total construction gross area of 40.8 m2. From the plateau of the viewpoint, there is a view of the sea and the concrete-steel platform (skywalk) in the form of a horseshoe with a protective fence and a floor made entirely of glass. The pedestal will be formed by relying on the multi-layer safety glass on the steel structure. The entire platform is laid over the edge of the cliff and it opens the view towards the sea, allowing you to experience the Biokovo rocks from a bird’s eye view.
JU PP Biokovo
The ultimate goal of walking on the platform is to create a unique experience of the mountain, the height, and the sea, or an extreme and unforgettable walk in a controlled condition. I would like to emphasize that within this project, the construction of a geological column with info boards is envisaged. The geological column is a three-dimensional view of the cross-section of geological periods and the geological origin of PP Biokovo. It is intended for educating visitors and providing basic information on Biokovo geomorphology. According to the plan of activities for the implementation of the project, if there are no unforeseen circumstances, the opening is scheduled for June 2019.
What is the role of HGSS in this partnership?
HGSS is our partner project. Collaboration with HGSS foresees investment in the development of the search and rescue system, primarily through the construction of infrastructure and equipment of PP Biokovo’s necessary rescue equipment at the park’s own location. This will certainly contribute greatly to shortening the time of the accident intervention, as the staff will be educated and trained for initial intervention, preparation for the arrival of HGSS search or rescue teams, and the existence of rescue equipment at the location itself will shorten the response time. Collaboration with HGSS involves the following activities: the purchase of rescue and tracing equipment (medical, radio and lifting and lowering equipment, carriers), the construction of shelters and educating supervisors through the course of cave rescue.
Excerpts translated from Dalmacija Danas
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