The Livno wild horses should finally be protected. There are currently about a thousand of them in the area and their number is increasing every year. Although they are a unique attraction, there are also numerous real problems, and the city and cantonal authorities have finally decided to address this issue. Namely, work has begun on a professional study that aims to establish a permanent and systematic protection framework that will preserve this unique population, as well as the area in which they live.
Many compare the Livno region to Mongolia and Iceland because it is the only place in the world that has such a large number of wild horses in one place. Thanks to individuals from the Livno private sector, the wild horses have become a brand and a global attraction. One of them is Matej Bartulica, who has been investing in this story for six years and has been attracting tourists from all over the world to Livno.
“Tourism is a story that can be lived from, not only we do these tours, but the whole municipality can live. The very arrival of guests also makes cafes, restaurants, private accommodations, hotels work, so we contribute to the whole community and I think that’s what we should build our future on here”, believes Bartulica, tourist employee of “Eyes of Sturba”, Livno.
There are more and more tourists and tourist workers, however, the problem, he says, is that wild horses and this area where they live are without adequate protection. But these things should finally move from the deadlock. Namely, both the relevant county ministry and the city of Livno have initiated activities to put everything within the legal framework.
In recent days, the marking of wild horses with GPS collars has started. In this way, precise data is collected on the movement and area where horses live, as well as their activities.
This will enable a better analysis of the state of wild horses, and the development of guidelines for long-term and sustainable management of this unique population, which is both a great attraction and a problem.
“In addition to this tourist attraction, there are real problems. The bigger problem is the release of these wild horses onto the roads and their uncontrolled reproduction, where the area will no longer be able to support them in such large numbers. There is also livestock farming, forestry and hunting. Here, we have initiated the preparation of a scientific study that would give us data and suggestions on how to manage this resource,” says Božo Perić, Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of Canton 10.
“Any form of protection is welcome, so ultimately protection itself would mean a greater number of guests for us, because when you bring guests to an area, when you advertise, the word ‘protection’ itself contributes much more, primarily for the purpose of horses. We would know the exact number of the population, the horses would be better cared for, we would know their movements,” emphasizes Matej Bartulica.
The preparation of the expert study should be completed by the summer, and this is the first step that will provide the foundation for legal long-term management of the wild horse population, as well as the preservation of natural resources and the creation of new opportunities for ecological and rural tourism and sustainable development of the Livno region.
