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Like in the jungle The island of war is full of life, and one can only stop and listen to the invisible birdsong. He stared at the large number of hidden frogs He leaps like a swarm of bees, yes “Slap” a mosquito that finds a “victim”People also wonder where the wild boars that have taken over the island are hiding and whether they will If you are lucky you can see the wings of the mighty white-tailed eagle.
The fact that there is asphalt, trams, trucks and rafts just a few hundred meters away seems to have nothing to do with nature. Anyone crossing the Zemun Floating Bridge can enter the embrace of this wilderness, and we had the privilege of crossing the island with the expert guide Tanja Kukobat, an environmental engineer, who organizes free guided tours through the heart of the wilderness, revealing its secrets to curious visitors who, whether they are 7 or 77 years old, listen carefully to every letter about nature.
“These two hours are your anti-stress therapy, the body recovers from the stress we put on it”, she said, opening her heart.
But nature is not a place that waits for us to enjoy it, use it, walk around hedonistically lying on the grass, eat a sandwich and forget about everything. The purpose of this walk is not to kill our free time, but to understand that we are part of nature and the question is what will happen to our lives if one day oases around the world turn into wastelands.
“Look, we’re standing on the ground. When the land on the island was formed by spreading sand, where did it come from? Well, these treetops, this forest, nature created this land. Beneath our feet, through the gravel and sand, groundwater flows, and the island provides us with ecosystem services because the bacteria beneath it purifies the water. Everything in nature is interconnected.” Tanja told us at the beginning of the 5 km trail.
Everything around us looked like a tropical paradise. A real jungle, with lianasIt’s a bit confusing when we think about the fact that this is the landscape of the central Pannonian Plain. This suggests that something is changing. You yourself sense that something is wrong here: the importation of invasive species and the emergence of a climate that increasingly favors them is not a good combination.
He explained to us that the various creepers that covered the entire tree were invasive species.
“The wild vine, Acacia quinata, is a very invasive species, although any greenery is better than wasteland. People grow artichokes on an island in the garden, but this should not be done as it is a very invasive species. Cats and dogs are also natural enemies of birds. This is an American cucumber, a plant that looks beautiful and is grown as an ornamental, but it is very invasive…”, She showed us green plants that we never thought could be harmful.
We discovered quite by accident that bamboo is an invasive species, luckily it does not exist on the island. Advice for gardening enthusiasts: always plant bamboo with pots, otherwise you will never get rid of it.
We left the last house and went deep into the woods. We didn’t know how long it would take to reach the top of the island, where we could see the Nebojša Tower.The smoke made it a little difficult to breathe, but water and moisture were the essence of life. Got bitten by a mosquito? Nothing to worry about ——This is nature, and destroying them will hurt it. Frogs eat mosquitoes, and birds eat frogs Thus we get the most important natural feature of this paradise on earth – 206 bird species.
“The kids were happiest when they saw a fishing snake, and when they saw these frogs they had a lot of fun trying to catch them,” Tanya told us.
When you think of birds on the Danube, His Majesty the Swan comes to mind. But enjoying feeding these birds at the pier has little to do with biodiversity. Somehow, the swans have taken advantage and taken over our coasts, but in doing so they have endangered many other wading birds. Must every story about nature end with an invasive species?
Here is a better example… Suddenly, we saw a wooden board which indicated the presence of the white-tailed eagle, popularly known as “štekavac”.. He “rules” the island and appropriates 25 square kilometers of land for himself. Therefore, it flies to the Banat and sometimes, perhaps, surprises walkers on the Dholkol.
A pair of white-tailed eagles have been here since 2010 and they nest regularly. The cubs travel further and conquer new territories. The more couples like this in Serbia, the cleaner the environment! And some… That’s good news.
We also reached the “Galijaš” channelIt’s overgrown and inaccessible, but it’s where the real injection of island life comes from. We immediately encountered numerous frogs, mosquitoes were increasing, and there was a forest not far away, full of bumblebees and wasps. In the canals, out of sight from us, young fish are developing, providing much needed safety and a source of food.
At the end of the trip, we organized a quiz for children and seniors to refresh their memory and not forget what they had learned on the way. Now everyone knows what a woodpecker is, they know that the American cucumber is an invasive species and also why the fir tree is so beautiful and ideal for our garden if we live in the house. They also learned why we should save the gray mouse if it runs into our house as an unsuspecting guest.
“I want to convey to citizens my love for nature, but also the knowledge that nature is absolutely necessary for their life and health, that nature purifies our air, water and soil and is absolutely necessary for our survival. I want to convey to them that protecting nature is not some noble gesture, but that it is our obligation to care for nature, save energy and leave clean water, land and air,” Kukobat explained.
These tours are organized every summer in July and August during the installation of the floating bridge. Only during this time can citizens safely walk along these beautiful paths.
“The citizens are very interested and when they come to the island they don’t know what they will see. For example, when you walk along the health trail you see a sign that says there is a white-tailed eagle’s nest, a sign warns against wild boars, you come across a tree with beautiful ripe figs that everyone is obsessed with, we see nettles, comfrey and all kinds of herbs…”, she tells us.
Although we saw many invasive species, we also received another important message – anything green is better than a wasteland. However, people should pay attention to nature and help it come back to us as much as it can. There is one more important thing – plant a tree yourself, because in one or two years it may be too late.
There are also “red” areas
Today, the island is protected under three protection regimes. We weren’t even supposed to set foot in the First Regime area, and we didn’t do that on this trip. As long as we stick to this path, don’t pollute the environment, and don’t make noise, we’re not violating any laws and are respecting nature.
But, to ensure there is no confusion, throughout history it was not humans who preserved this natural oasis, but nature, somehow, fought for its space with its own whims. For centuries it had been the scene of war, and every decade of unrest between the two empires would destroy it. The forest would regenerate and be cut down again. After the Second World War, in 1948, the man said he would completely drive the wild animals out of the city and decided to let the island sleep, just as he had done with the entire New Belgrade. But nature did not yield. Sometimes it is stronger, ready to break all obstacles and plans. At that time the Danube water level was so high that the plan was abandoned.
(Telegraf.rs)
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