Natural and cultural values of National Park Kornati

Abstract

Kornati se smatraju najgušćim i najzamršenijim arhipelagom europskog Sredozemlja. Sastoje se od otprilike 150 otočića. U prošlosti je otočje imalo poljoprivrednu, stočarsku i ribolovnu vrijednost, a danas je više okrenuto turizmu. Od 1980. godine dio otočja je proglašeno Nacionalnim parkom. Kornatsko otočje i podmorje je veoma bogato biljnim i životinjskim vrstama (od koje su mnoge endemične), ali još uvijek ne postoji dovoljno podataka o flori i fauni jer nije dovoljno istraženo. Kornati su značajni i u kulturnom i povijesnom smislu. Na otocima kao dokaze naseljenosti (uglavnom povremene) nalazimo kuće, muliće, suhozide, torove, ali i sakralne objekte i utvrde. Najpoznatija je crkva Gospe o, Tarca i utvrda Tureta koje se nalaze na otoku Kornatu. Na vanjskim (pučinskim) kornatskim otocima nalaze se slavne krune koje su najveće na otoku Mani. Na Kornatima se nalazi i specifično klizište nazvano Magazinovom škrilom koje zauzima veliku površinu samog otoka Kornata. Kornati su predivno i još uvijek dovoljno očuvano prirodno stanište, ali trebale bi se poduzeti mjere još veće zaštite da tako i ostane.Kornati is considered the densest and most complex European Mediterranean archipelago. They consist of approximately 150 islands. In the past, the Islands have had agricultural, livestock and fishery value, and today it is more focused on tourism. Some parts of the Kornati Islands were declared as a National park of Kornati Islands in 1980. The archipelago and the seabed is very rich in flora and fauna, which many of them are endemic but there is still no sufficient data about the flora and fauna because it is not sufficiently explored. They are also important in cultural and historical sense also because there are visible traces of another time. There are visible evidences of mostly temporary settlements like houses, small piers, sheepfolds, religious buildings, forts and dry walls made only from stacking stone, which can only be found in some places in Dalmatia. The best known religious building is Catholic Church Madonna of Tarac (orig. Gospe od Tarca) and Tureta fort, both located on Kornat Island. On the offshored Kornati Islands are located well known cliffs, which are greatest on island of Mana. There can also be found the specific landslide called Magazinov Landslide (orig. Magazinova škrila) which occupies a large area of island of Kornat. Generally, the Kornati Islands are still well preserved habitat but greater measures of protection should be taken to keep it in that way