The 18th anniversary of the operation of the Association Biom on Friday, June 7th was marked by holding a pre-selection of the Bird of the Year candidates in the company of members, supporters, and associates.
From a group of interested biology students to the strong civil society organisation dedicated to preserving birds and nature, which has earned its place as an equal partner and a representative of Croatia in the largest global network of bird conservation organisations – BirdLife International. This is how one could describe in just one sentence the journey of the Association Biom from its foundation 18 years ago until today.
Professor Duje Lisičić, PhD, the vice-president of the Board of Directors of Biom and one of the founders of the association, spoke to its members during the celebration of the 18th birthday and painted a picture of his point of view as a parent who realised at one moment that their child grew up to be an independent person.
We celebrated 18 years of Biom’s operation on Friday, June 7th, and used that occasion to hold a pre-selection of the candidates for the Bird of the Year award in the company of our members, supporters, and associates. The selection of the Bird of the Year is a way for the ornithology community to promote the most endangered bird species around us to the general public.
This opportunity was used by the three young persons who decided to dedicate this year to volunteering in Biom, and they contributed in a most creative way. Paula from Spain, Zülfü from Azerbaijan, and Linde from the Netherlands each starred as one of the three birds competing for the Bird of the Year award during Biom’s birthday party.
Given that this pre-selection was held during the campaigning atmosphere right before the EU Parliament elections, our birdly candidates spoke to their voters as politicians would, from the stage at the Zagreb club Route 66, trying to win their votes with campaign speeches.
“Shag for change!”, Paula yelled out her motto, dressed as the European shag, in a costume that she made. Zülfü represented the common swift wearing a beak-like mask on his face, and Linde went full-in dressing as the last remaining vulture in Croatia – the griffon vulture – and won the majority of the votes with about a hundred ballots inserted into the ballot box that was prepared for the interested voters.
This is how the griffon vulture was chosen to be one of the three competing birds in the traditional Bird of the Year selection at the end of the year. The other two candidates will be nominated by the ornithology community from the Association Biom and the Croatian Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature from Osijek, and in the end, the title of the Bird of the Year for the year 2025 will be awarded to the bird that wins the majority of votes in the final elections at the end of the year.
Given that 18 years in the life of a person marks the start of their adult life, and the ability to vote in elections, the Association Biom used this opportunity to speak to its members and invite them to vote in the EU elections which will set the course for Europe in the coming years. The elected members of the EU Parliament will have to take responsibility, following previous achievements, for building a better future in line with sustainable ecosystems that will be resilient to climate shocks, and free from pollution. Every year the number of victims of the climate and nature crises is rising, whether the cause is flooding, fires, polluted air, or the lack of access to clean water. Even though the public sphere nowadays is not lacking in discussions on safety, it is imperative that politicians realise that it is their duty to protect all citizens of Europe from real threats that we are facing, amongst which are the climate crisis, the nature crisis, and the biodiversity crisis. Solving climate change issues, protecting nature, and fighting pollution is an integral part of dealing with the crisis of life costs, geopolitical instability, health challenges, and migrations.
Translated by: Lucia Grzunov
