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This study analyzed the use of plants and fungi, some wild and some cultivated, in three municipalities of Lika-Senj County (Perušić, Gospić and Lovinac). The range of the study area was about 60 km. Forty in-depth semi-structured interviews were performed. The use of 111 plant taxa from 50 plant families and five taxa of mushrooms and fungi belonging to five families was recorded (on average 27 taxa per interview). The results showed quite large differences between the three studied areas in terms of ethnobotanical and ecological knowledge. In the Perušić area, (101 taxa mentioned), some people still use wild plants on a daily basis for various purposes. The most commonly noted plants are

State boundaries limit human contacts in a homogenous context of a landscape and its natural features, including plants. After nine centuries of separation, finally the two territories in Slovenia share the same political history. In this paper we tried to answer the question to which extent the past political borders, geographical and cultural drivers affect today’s traditional knowledge on wild plants use of Slovenians, living unified in the same political entity. Data were collected using 60 in-depth semi-structured interviews, from March to August 2019, in two municipalities: Komen at Karst and Izola in Istria concerning food, medicinal, economic use, and local customs. The results indicate a quite large divergence in ethnobotanical and ecological knowledge between the two studied areas. In the Komen area, many people still use wild plants daily for various purposes (Taraxacum officinale, Melissa officinalis, Urtica dioica, Cornus mas, and Sambucus nigra). In contrast, this is limited to fewer people in the Izola area and mainly to seasonal use of specific plants (Asparagus acutifolius, Rosa canina, Salvia officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare and Rubus caesius). Unusual for the Mediterranean is the use of young shoots of Clematis vitalba, in the Izola area prepared as omelettes. We can assume that these differences are partly due to minor differences in climatic conditions and partly due to the influence of different cultures and cuisines. In the first place, the impact of Austro-Hungarian eating habits and cuisine can be seen on the area around Komen. Moreover, temporal “layers of knowledge” across the time scale are additionally mixed by the immigration of people from other parts of Slovenia or abroad, or with the influence of local herbal specialists. At last, we conclude Komen area knowledge is alive and homogeneous, and more connected to their local identity.

Aim of study: This paper evaluates the effect of pre-accession EU grants on beneficiaries in the agri-food sector using a quasi-experimental approach on the case of Croatia. An insight into the available literature reveals a lack of rigorous research and evaluation of the results of using these funds in Croatia as well as in other beneficiary countries.Area of study: Republic of Croatia, Europe (2006–2017).Material and methods: Two datasets were used: (1) financial and structural data on the population of Croatian enterprises for the 2003–2017 period, and (2) data on SAPARD and IPARD grants in the 2007–2016 period. Data were analyzed using counterfactual impact analysis, i.e., a combination of difference-in-difference approach and propensity score matching.Main results: The grants showed to have a positive effect on firm survival, as well as positive effects on obtaining bank loans and increasing turnover, value added, employment, and total factor productivity. Heterogeneous treatment effects show that the grants resulted in the greatest additionality for micro-sized firms located in Central Croatia. Cost-benefit analysis estimates an increase in the value added, which outweighs scheme-induced costs by 120% in the short run and 90% in the mid run.Research highlights: Pre-accession programs in Croatia had a positive impact on the beneficiaries’ growth and business performance indicators in both short and mid term. This paper also promotes the application of similar research in other EU candidate countries where the same or similar funds are implemented.

Th e paper presents the fi rst ethnobotanical application of Ellenberg indicator values, which are widely used in European plant ecology. The aim of the study was to fi nd out if Ellenberg values (indicating habitat preferences) differ for wild food and medicinal plants used in north- eastern Istria (Croatia). We used Ellenberg-Pignatti values (the version of Ellenberg values used in this part of Europe). Fift y semi-structured interviews were carried out among local key informants, asking which wild food and medicinal plants they used. The mean number of food and medicinal plants mentioned per interview was 30. Altogether, 121 species were recorded as food or medicine used or previously used in the study area. Thirty-one species are used exclusively as food or everyday drink, 50 species are used exclusively as medicine and 40 species are used for both food and medicine. The most commonly used exclusively food species are: Cornus mas, Cichorium intybus, Chenopodium album, Prunus domestica, Pyrus amygdaliformis, Rubus idaeus, Clematis vitalba, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Fragaria vesca and Allium ampeloprasum. The most commonly exclusively medicinal species are: Achillea millefolium, Tilia platyphyllos, Hypericum perforatum, Sempervivum tectorum, Artemisia absinthium, Plantago lanceolata, Gentiana lutea ssp. symphyandra, Althaea officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, and Pinus nigra. The most commonly used food-medicine spectrum species are: Rubus caesius, Sambucus nigra, Urtica dioica, Dioscoraea communis, Taraxacum spp., Asparagus acutifolius, Rosa canina, Foeniculum vulgare, Prunus spinosa and Sorbus domestica. There were no signifi cant differences between Ellenberg values for food and medicinal plants, apart from the Nitrogen indicator value – the plants used exclusively as food had a signifi cantly higher index than those used in medicine. This probably stems from the fact that plants with soft fl eshy shoots are attractive as food and they are more likely to come from nitrogen-rich ruderal habitats. Food plants and medicinal plants are collected from a variety of habitats and no clear diff erence between the two categories of plants was detected, however further testing of Ellenberg values in ethnobotanical studies could be interesting.

Rural areas in Croatia have great resources in the shape of natural assets and landscapes, which is an excellent basis for the economic development and rural employment. In this context, integrated water resources management is an issue of high significance. The prevailing system of uncoordinated water resources management cannot sustain the increasing water needs of the various expanding factors. This study focuses on the activities cut across the rural, environmental and socio-economic issues of water resource management in Zadar region (Croatia). The problems associated with inadequate management of natural resources have to be solved systematically by a participatory approach established on several key issues: (1) agricultural development with strengthening farmers’ organization, (2) rural infrastructure by investment in irrigation infrastructure, and (3) irrigation related environmental and social measures. The review of institutional and legislative support to optimize performance of the irrigation system was done, as well as the measures that promote sustainable use of natural resources.