How important is to advise the citizens and encourage them to actively participate in the protection of nature is proven by the case in Gazije.

In September this year, the construction of the road through the village began. In parallel with the construction of the road, the concreting of the stream started, in a place where the stream used to flood part of the road. In addition to the described stream, the sleeve of the stream is also running through the village. The contractor decided to fill in the sleeve in order to facilitate and accelerate the implementation of works.

First they physically prevented the flow of water into the sink of the sleeve, and when it dried, the filled it with earth. At this stage, the citizens contacted the Green Phone of Green Osijek and asked for advice on how to act on this issue. The Inspection Service was immediately alarmed, and the sleeve was returned to its former state, and the works were suspended.

We are currently awaiting the decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection on the fate of the stream. We also sent our observations to the Ministry about the case, stating that we believe that the model of organization planned in this project - sewage of the stream Gazije - is fully unacceptable for the environment and nature, and in this way a common channel is formed from the natural stream. The stream Babina voda is the habitat of many river crabs, which are legally protected and are among the strictly protected indigenous species (OG 70/05), and at European and world level they are included in the Red Book of IUCN and in Appendix no. III of the Berne Convention.

According to research Zoological department of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, regulation of water flows drastically reduces the population river crabs and other aquatic habitats. Coastal vegetation is also necessary for their survival since the crabs prefer shaded habitats, because actually the shadow ensures that the water temperature does not rise too high, and therefore that the amount of oxygen in the water is more optimal for their life.