Karmen Peternelj, Sanja Alaber, Miloš Bavec, Stefano Devoto, Stefano Furlani, Goran Glamuzina, Jernej Jež, Tvrtko Korbar, Maja Oven Stanič, Maria Luisa Perissinotto, Fabiana Pieri, Duška Rokavec, Ivan Stanič, Domen Zupančič
In the project area, quality platy limestone is found at many localities. In the past, people excavated stone plates without a significant impact on the natural environment, mostly using traditional stone gathering (in Croatian: branje kamena) (Fig. 5.4). Although the so-called traditional simple "stone-gathering“ from the surface is not allowed today (anywhere in the project area), we generally recommend gathering limestone plates using simple hand tools (without machines) for the renovation of existing traditional houses and other objects. We suggest the legalization of this traditional activity on the owners’ property under the control of at least the local government.
The traditional gathering of limestone plates from the surface is easy in regions where soil layer is absent or thin. Thus, the Middle Dalmatian coastal areas and islands, parts of Istria and Herzegovina are suitable for this type of building material collection. On the other hand, in the Kras or partly in Istria, the stone can’t be gathered without impacting the sensitive natural environment since the rocks are covered by a layer of soil. In these regions, an appropriate amount of limestone plates can only be gathered by removing soil over a large area.
