The local Action plan for Youth 2014-2018 of the City of Subotica, foresees as one of its main priorities the area of environmental protection. There are great opportunities for young people to be involved in this field. Young people can get involved in both, in the design and in implementation of projects and activities that will contribute to better environmental protection.
Only 8.5 km from Subotica, Lake Palic is situated, which is marked by the City of Subotica as a protected area of local interest. In accordance with the Plan for the improvement of ecological status of Lake Palic and its environment, which was adopted in July 2014, the concrete activities started towards the improvement of its condition. The role of young people in this process is very important because this natural heritage should serve primarily their needs and their future generations. That being said, all young people are invited to express their opinions and proposals about the activities in the Action Plan for the implementation of the Plan to improve the ecological status of the Lake Palic.
One of the first steps aiming to improve the lake Palic was test-fishing. It began in March and lasted till the 8th of April 2016. Test-fishing was part of the project funded by GIZ - German Agency for International Cooperation in total value of 6 million Euros. On April 20th, 2016 presentation of the results of the test-fishing project took place in the Regional Aarhus Centre, Subotica. Hydrologist Mishell Rohmann, presented the results of these actions. He noted that 92% of the total population in the lake is an invasive type of fish which is the main cause of the murky water. The plan is to reduce their presence in the lake by 50% with the introduction of indigenous predatory species as the catfish or pike. He concluded that the dialogue and cooperation between all the stakeholders needs to be improved, with the inclusion of a large number of relevant actors in the Plan for the improvement of the lake Palic.
In the presentation also took part members of working groups and environmental organizations, the representatives of the association of fishermen and pupils of Chemical Secondary School from Subotica.
In the next period the plan is to increase the awareness and the number of youngsters in solving this long-term environmental problem because Palic is an essential resource for carrying out different activities and its potential and real beneficiaries are recognized in the field of tourism, sport, recreation, science and nature protection. All these beneficiaries have their common but also specific requirements in relation of the use of these resources, which restricts the manner of its maintenance.
By Barbara Sudarević