Sara Biolchi, Stefano Devoto, Stefano Furlani, Igor Belamarić, Franco Cucchi, Radoslav Dodig, Goran Glamuzina, Jernej Jež, Bogdan Jurkovšek, Tea Kolar-Jurkovšek, Karmen Peternelj, Fabiana Pieri, Luca Zini, Gordana Zwicker Kompar, Irina Žeger Pleše
No quarry in the project area is protected according to the Nature Protection Act (OG 80/13).
Having reviewed the available data from WP3 and WP5 outputs, the areas to be proposed as geosites have been selected for their paleontological features, for landscape deterioration prevention features or for a combination of natural and cultural heritage features. These are spatially distributed in both the southern and northern parts of the project area.
On the island of Korčula we selected the Žrnovo-Podstrana region, which consists of at least 3 abandoned quarries. The suggestion is to protect one quarry under the houses of the Žrnovo settlement (Fig. 4.23) as a geological natural monument, whereby the geological origin of the stone, the paleo-environmental conditions and other natural features and values of the platy limestone could be explained. It is also important to explain the use of platy limestone as a building material by local people and thus tangibly connect the natural and cultural heritages.
Another site we recommend proposing as a geosite is the area of Vela Luka corresponding to the Gornji Humac PL unit, and the northern slopes of the north-western part of the island of Korčula. Protecting the site is crucial owing to the outstanding beauty of its platy limestone landscape, as reported in WP3 report.
Pelješac peninsula has already been recognized as a potential area for protection with valuable natural and cultural heritage. There was the initiative for the protection of the north-western part of the peninsula by the NGO “UZORNA Nakovana” as an eco-archeological park (2002). The idea behind the scheme was to protect archeological sites (Spila, Grad, Iliric grave mounds, medieval churches, the villages of Gornja and Donja Nakovana) and natural sites (speleological objects, springs, forests, ten beautiful bays and its particularly specific landscape) inside the park. The archeological site Spila Nakovana cave and the historical area of Nakovana have been identified as cultural heritage and have been placed in the cultural heritage inventory as immovable cultural heritage / historical entity. Funding for the realization of the project of internal development of Nakovana cave on Pelješac has been granted to the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Natural Values in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County as a part of the "EU Natura 2000 Project". Systematic archaeological explorations between 1999 and 2006 have determined there is an extremely rich archaeological site in the cave. In 2009 scientific collaboration between the Public Institution and the Croatian Biospeleological Society produced an analysis of the site’s biological diversity, together with measures and conditions for the protection of the nature. The cave fauna of Nakovana is especially endemic. Out of a total of 18 determined species 8 are endemic to the area of southern Dalmatia, and 3 are endemic to Dinarids. This analysis forms the basis of a quality, long-term management scheme for the Nakovana cave.
In view of the above-stated facts, we consider as best suggestion protection of the area as a significant landscape, where cultural and natural heritage could be communicated together as inseparable elements in the protection of platy limestone. With protection of the area as a significant landscape, all of the elements of natural and cultural heritage would be part of one specific authentic space in the Adriatic area. Within the boundaries of the protected area certain actions and activities would be allowed, e.g. agriculture, restoration of houses, excavation of platy limestone, tourist activities and similar.
Vrnik Island could be proposed as a protected geosite, or could be taken as part of a significant landscape where cultural and natural heritage could be interpreted and communicated, together, as inseparable elements in the protection of platy limestone. The small island is located in the Channel of Pelješac, and has been an important source of limestone materials since the Roman Empire (Fig. 4.24).
Limestone materials were exported regionally in medieval times, with a large number of architectural features and details of historically important buildings in the city of Dubrovnik were created out of this stone.
Over a period of nearly 2,000 years, the work of excavating and exporting stone from the island left an impressive image: hand-carved cliffs (some more than 40m high), huge verticals covered with an aged patina (which becomes dark-yellow on the southern side and brownish on the northern side of the island) with stone leftovers all around. Legend has it that every inhabitant was directly involved in exploitation work, as either a stonecutter or a stone carver.
This site is already protected as cultural heritage, although it could also be presented as an important part of natural heritage (Fig. 4.25).
In addition, other possible locations and quarries to be protected are listed and widely described in the WP3 report.
In Zadar County (northern Dalmatia) an abandoned quarry in Benkovac PL, located at Vlacina (NW of Benkovac) is recommended owing to its valuable paleontological content and outstanding sedimentological features. The upper Cretaceous platy limestone along the Dalmatian coast and on the islands (Split county) have been known as macrofossil-rich sediments since ancient times. In particular, important findings of marine fossil vertebrates were found between Stari Grad and Vrboska on the island of Hvar, at Vidova Gora on the island of Brač, in the surroundings of Grohote and in the northern part of the island of Šolta, and finally at Konjsko (north of Split) and Labistica hill (east of Split).
