It will take decades to recover Deliblato Sands

Professor Dejan Sabic of the Faculty of Geography says that the fire in Deliblato Sands caused enormous damage to the unique flora and fauna and warns that it will take three to four decades for this special nature reserve to fully recover.

Fire covers area larger than Monaco

Professor Sabic warned that the fire had covered about 4,000 hectares - an area larger than Monaco and that Serbia had lost a lot due to the fire in the sands.

– I would like to remind you that Deliblato Sands is a special nature reserve in this part of the world, I can say, Europe. There are sand dunes there – he says.

As he says, Deliblato Sands was formed during the last ice age, when sand was blown over a layer of loess.

– I hope that we will not have more experiences like this, and that based on the negative experience, we build a happier future and a more sustainable ecosystem in Deliblato Sands – he emphasizes.

From then until today, he says, vegetation has formed that is both steppe, forest-steppe, and forest vegetation.

– In the coastal part, in the south, along the banks of the Danube, aquatic vegetation and swamp vegetation at the mouth of the Nera have developed. However, in addition to the rich flora, there is also an animal world. Let’s not forget that there are also deer, bears, wild boars, and different types of birds – explains Professor Sabic.

Endangered flora and fauna

In that area, he says, there are species that can only be found there, such as Banat peony, steppe peony, more than 20 species of orchids that grow there.

– A lot is at risk. Of the animals, the steppe jerboa is the only one that lives in Deliblato – he adds.

It will take three or four decades for the situation in the sand to be the same as before the fire, he says.

– The root systems have burned down to a depth of about 30 cm, and recultivation should be done and the soil should be enriched in order to restore biodiversity – points out Professor Sabic.

The fight against fire in several locations in Serbia continues, and according to information from the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, all available capacities are being used to extinguish the fire.

The most difficult situation is still in Deliblato Sands. Fires have also broken out on the top of Stolovi Mountain.

Let us remind that the fire in Deliblato Sands was detected on July 21, and as Vojvodinasume previously told N1, it got out of control on August 5.

Deliblato Sands

professor Dejan Šabić

fires

biodiversity