To save nature, save society

This is a three part series of stories profiling the lives of people active in the community of the Croatian island of Lastovo, as part of the WWF Nature & People platform. The people profiled in the series live in an area designated as Nature Park Lastovo Islands. The aim of this platform is to recognise the value of nature through the stories of people living closest to it. I developed these articles as a WWF Adria volunteer, working in Nature Park Lastovo Islands, with the help of the people involved. 

1. To save the nature, save the society

The church bells rang six times to mark 6pm on a Sunday evening, and sun rays were still finding their way through the rustling leaves of the oak trees above me on a summer’s day in the Adriatic. The silence following the bells was broken by the sounds of an old Croatian song, sung in unison by the group of elderly ladies I have joined for coffee. Across the table, Annette Mufić Trojković’s voice carried in tune with the group, not surprisingly as she sings in the island’s Acapella group. She was noticeable younger but no less part of the group.

This was all taking place across the Adriatic sea, on the island of Lastovo, a relatively untouched tranquil island of Croatia. The Croatian Parliament declared Lastovo and its' surrounding islands a nature park in 2006, in part due to its landscape value as well as its rich cultural and historical heritage. It is a unique example of coexistence between man and nature under the title of a Nature Park.

I met Annette a few days earlier in her office and her connection to the island and sense of duty to it came across strongly as she spoke to me about the ups and downs of island life. She mentioned that when people think of a nature park; “they think trees, sea, rivers, but they forget people.”

“That’s a big challenge, to remember the people because their role is so vital in nature. Especially when you live in and with a nature park,” she said. Annette is a local resident of Lastovo Island, raised in Germany with roots on the island through her mother who was born here. Growing up she often visited Lastovo and always promised to spend some part of her life on the island, 18 years later she is still here. She settled on the island at 29 years old and has never looked back.

With a background in political science, Annette began to see the missing pieces in the society of Lastovo. Annette estimates that at least 200 out of 500 inhabitants are elderly, making up a large percentage of the demographic of the island. As younger people often leave the island for work opportunities, the elderly are left with little to no support.  

This led Annette to set up of an NGO, Udruga Val, in partnership with 11 other community members ten years ago. The focus of the Association is to enhance the quality of life of the elderly, children and young people on the island of Lastovo. The Association started out with a focus on looking after the elderly, who are too often forgotten in societies. This assistance includes all round support helping them in their homes, ensuring they have adequate access to water and medical resources. Recently the elderly were taken for medical check ups on a neighbouring island, Korcula.

There are also regular social events such coffee meetings, knitting get-togethers and even cooking classes. It is at one of these coffee meetings I find myself surrounded by a group of elderly ladies nibbling on traditional Croatian baked goods.

The lady next to me, placed her cane or as she referred to it, her third leg, under her seat and set out to share childhood tales of witches, collecting vegetables from dew filled fields and sleeping on soft leaves in the woods overnight. Her friend lit up a cigarette and listened intently, nodding as she remembered the same experiences.

Although our conversation was translated between us by a friend of mine, I can still detect the excitement in her voice as she recounts the good old days fondly. These meetings offer a platform to keep these stories alive both in the minds of the elderly and within the community.

Conversation soon took a somber turn as the ladies note that most of them present are widows, one was quick to mention that their husbands had died before them simply because they drove them mad. Laughter erupted around the table and happier chatter soon continued. These ladies offer each other a sense of companionship and belonging that would otherwise be lost. Annette had mentioned that one of the aims of the NGO was to “create one big family”, important for such a small community that exists in remote conditions.

I noticed Annette giggling with the ladies and although I cannot understand the chat, it is clear to me that her role is an important one. She has established trust with the locals, not an easy feat in a small and tight knit community.

Annette had previously mentioned that social workers had come from outside of Lastovo coming in to help the elderly, but that this was often not productive as the community are weary of having to give something in return for help. For Annette, the association has offered her a meaningful way to contribute to the island and find her place in it. “I came from outside, but now I am part of the whole story. I am connected”.

The biggest success of the NGO so far is the growing awareness of social issues facing the island and the creation of a safe space for the elderly. For the future the NGO is hoping for bigger projects. The main goal is to establish a retirement village on the island. The retirement village will be a group of apartments designed for elderly care with various services offered. These services will include laundry, meals and cleaning. They will be optional as to ensure the elderly remain as independent as possible and have control over their own decisions and way of life. This will also open up new job opportunities for younger people on the island.

The association has recently branched out to working with the youth of the island. Various activities and workshops work to encourage the youth to make active and responsible contributions to participants in society. This includes taking over civil duties promoting a culture of healthy living and ecological awareness, especially when living within a nature park. There is also a focus on encouraging democratic initiatives and intergenerational solidarity.

A main challenge facing the society is the decline of young people. There is no secondary school on the island and at age 14/15, islanders need to head to the mainland city of Split to live and attend secondary school. This means they often only get to spend three or four days at home in a month or on weekends, which Annette believes disrupts the family life of the community. This is also such an influential age and they become more adapted to big city life.

When Annette moved to the island 18 years ago, there were 110 pupils. As of 2018 there are only 48 pupils, a rapid decline of the youth on the island. Often young people don't come back to island after school choosing to rather study and work on the mainland, Annette notes that this is not a good sign for the demographics of the island.

In order to tackle this, a new project is in the works to encourage education closer to home. A new ferry to Dubrovnik is set to make other islands more accessible for locals. There are several schools on the nearby island of Korcula which will be able to accept Lastovo children, they will then be able to travel to and from school every day on the ferry. The association is working with representatives on Korcula to make accommodation available for those who need it however students will still be able to reach home in an hour during the week. This way they will be able to maintain lifelong friendships and build a life on the island during these years. The hope is that it will benefit family dynamics and encourage the youth to stay on Lastovo, helping to develop it. This is set to start with next years 8^th graders.

Annette was also a strong advocate for the Nature Park and remains a firm believer that an important part of the Nature Park should be the people who live in it. Protecting the traditions and cultures of the society are part and parcel of the web of nature.

“The community has had to save the island many times in the past. In order to make sure the environment is safe, we need to make sure that the society is safe too,” Annette said. This is not only a story about Annette, but also about a community which is rooted to the island through their connections to each other and their surroundings. It is about a way of life that has always been in their connection to collecting vegetables in the early morning dew and free diving to fish in the crystal clear blue seas.

Annette believes that the Nature Park’s success relies in part on the success of the people here. “Save the society so we can save the nature. We are all connected here, to each other and to the environment. We are part of it”. Annette helps not only to support the community, but also to keep alive a way of life connected in its natural surroundings.

As I left the meeting a deal was struck. The next coffee meeting is set and each of us is to come equipped with a story, legend or myth from our childhoods to share with the group. There was some debate as the ladies discuss whether to share stories of the pranks they used to play on the elderly when they were young. The church bells rang out again, this time with an extra ring, and as I headed up the narrow cobbled streets through the village I could still hear the chitter chatter of debate. Silence followed, but it was soon broken as the echoes of traditional Croatian songs whistle through the alleyways and followed me home.