PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

Research within these projects was carried out in Croatia and abroad in different periods of activity, starting in 1971. It began within the long-term project General Soil Map of Croatia (scale 1:50,000) and continued through the following decades.

• International scientific projects
• Domestic scientific projects
• Professional projects

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS

1987 – 1994

As a member of the Soil Protection Subgroup of the Alpine–Adriatic Working Community, he participated in developing a joint approach to systematic, integrated soil protection through three stages: inventory of the state of soils, database development, and permanent observation – monitoring.

The work of the subgroup concluded with the adoption of the handbook: Bodendauerbeobachtungsflächen – Empfehlung einer abgestimmten Vorgehensweise, Munich, 1994.

In Croatia, systematic soil monitoring did not take root in practice, despite a long-declared need.

1987 – 1991

Project leader: Intensity of Water Erosion on Ferralitic Soils of the Ethiopian Highland – Wollega Province, Horro Alleltu Area – Ethiopia.

1993

For the purposes of an FAO project, he prepared the study: Private Farm Support Services, Agricultural Sector Review.

1994 – 1998

Project collaborator: Untersuchungen hinsichtlich des düngungswertes der speziellen natürlichen substrates (Agrarvital) auf des basis von zeolite tuff.

1995

Project leader: Danube Integrated Environmental Study, for the Republic of Croatia.

1996

Coordinator of the National Report on the state of agriculture and food security for the World Food Summit (Rome, 1996), entitled: Croatian Agriculture at the Crossroads.

Head of the Croatian research team for the study: Removal of Phosphates from Detergents in the Danube Basin – Impact on Soil and Agriculture (PHARE).

2002 – 2006

Author of the national report within the joint scientific project of Mediterranean countries: Medcoastland project.

2005

Author of the study: Specifics of Agroecosystems in the Neretva and Trebišnjica River Basins, within the project Integrated Ecosystem Management of the Neretva and Trebišnjica River Basin.

2005 – 2008

Task leader within the interdisciplinary EU project: RECOAL – Reintegration of Coal Ash Disposal Sites and Mitigation of Pollution in the West Balkan Area.

2008

Collaborator in the LIFE III project: Permanent Soil Monitoring in Croatia (LIFE05 TCY/CRO/000105) – preparation of a monitoring programme with a pilot project.

2010 – 2012

Collaborator in the Hungarian–Croatian intergovernmental project of scientific and technical cooperation: Impact of Tillage and Fertilisation on Possible Climate Disturbances in Hungary and Croatia – Soil Vulnerability and Protection.

2012

Assessment of the initial state of soils in protected areas (Una, Blidinje, Hutovo Blato) with framework guidelines for management and protection.

Collaborator in the project: Research on the Efficiency of Biopost in Tobacco Cultivation.

2013

Within the project World Soil Book Series, he completed and presented the monograph: The Soils of Croatia (Springer Verlag, 2013).

He participated as Europe’s representative in the preparation of documents for the 2nd UNCCD Scientific Conference in Bonn (2013), including the core “White Paper” documents and the conference programme.

DOMESTIC SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS

1971 – 1986

Initially as a junior researcher, then as assistant, and finally as an independent researcher–cartographer in the project: General Soil Map of Croatia (scale 1:50,000).

Commissioned by: Republican Community for Scientific Work of SR Croatia – SIZ IV.
Implementing bodies: Project Council for the preparation of the General Soil Map of Croatia – contracted institutions (Agricultural Institute Križevci, Faculty of Agriculture Zagreb).

1973 – 1984

Collaborator in several projects of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, among which the multidisciplinary project stands out: Investigation of the Causes of Pedunculate Oak Decline on Hydromorphic Soils of the Sava River Valley (Posavina).

The project approached the causes of forest decline along the Sava River holistically, including verification of methods for determining aero- and anaerobiosis and the dynamics of oxidative and reductive soil conditions.

Project leaders: A. Vranković, B. Prpić, S. Matić – Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb.

1984

Collaborator in the project: Valorisation of Post-harvest Residues in Crop Production.

1984 – 1987

Collaborator in the project: Research on the Possibility of Growing Alfalfa on Acid Soils of Kordun.

1985 – 1988

Collaborator in the project: Efficiency of Residual Fertilisation in the Crop Rotation Wheat – Sugar Beet – Maize.

Collaborator in the project: Comparative Study of the Efficiency of Different Liming Materials in the Liming of Acid Soils of Northwestern Croatia (Varaždin Area).

1986 – 2010

Collaborator in the project: Optimal Crop Rotation in Virginia-Type Tobacco Cultivation.

1990 – 1993

Collaborator in the project: Research on Optimal Fertilisation for Maize on Acid Soils of Kordun.

1990 – 1994

Collaborator in the project: Research on the Fertilisation Value of a Special Natural Material (Agrarvital) Based on Zeolite Tuff.

1990 – 1992

Collaborator in the project: Evaluation of Materials for Liming Acid Soils (PIK Virovitica).

1996 – 2015

He conceptualised, founded, and led the project: Soil and Water Protection in Agroecosystems, including the task: Stationary Research of Soil Erosion by Water under Agroecological Conditions of Central Croatia.

1998 – 2012

Collaborator in the project: Impact of Increasing Mineral Nitrogen Rates on Leaching and Yield of Certain Arable Crops on Drained Pseudogley Soil.

1998 – 2001

Creator, founder, and leader of the project: Regionalisation of Croatian Agriculture.

Collaborator in the project: Liming and Fertilisation of Soils of Mountainous Croatia.

2002 – 2010

Collaborator in the project: Impact of Fertilisation on Nitrogen Distribution in the Agroecosystem.

2002 – 2015

Collaborator in the project: Erosion Risk as an Indicator of Sustainable Soil Management.

2007

Collaborator in the project: Agroecological Expertise of Quantitative and Qualitative Changes in Plant, Soil and Water Caused by an Oil Spill.

2007 – 2011

Collaborator in the project: Liming of Soils with Dolomite.

2007 – 2015

Leader of the scientific programme: Sustainable Soil Management and Soil Protection, including the project: Conservation Management on Soils Exposed to Water Erosion.

2008

Collaborator in the LIFE III project: Permanent Soil Monitoring in Croatia.

PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

1984

Land consolidation of agricultural land in the municipality of Stari Gradac – author of the study: Soils of the Cadastral Municipality of Stari Gradac for Land Consolidation Purposes.

1986

Land development for the dairy farm Sadilovac – study: Agroecological Expertise of Agricultural Land of the KIM Karlovac Dairy Farm in Sadilovac.

1987

Within the hydroelectric power plant construction project Đurđevac, he addressed soil amelioration of the water-management area and farming systems on these soils.

1988

He designed projects for recultivation of soils damaged by silicate sand extraction and other pressures.

He prepared: Guidelines for the Technical Remediation Procedure of a Surface Silicate Sand Mine, as well as studies and expert reports related to the application of wastewater (slurry) and industrial sludge.

1990

Developed criteria for selecting optimal transport routes with minimal damage to soil.

1990 – 2015

Project leader and creator of soil remediation solutions in the surroundings of mud pits associated with oil/gas extraction sites and wells.

1992

Developed a sustainable land management and crop production system for water-protection zones, aimed at protecting drinking groundwater from pollution.

1995 – 2005

Participated in the preparation of agroecological studies and economic valuation of soils (Karlovac County), and led an expert team for the transformation of agriculture in the water-protection zone of Kosnica near Zagreb.

Coordinated multidisciplinary teams in the preparation of studies for several counties and cities (Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Sisak-Moslavina, Brod-Posavina; Petrinja, Zagreb, Vinodol).

1996

Coordinator of the National Report on the state of agriculture and food security for the FAO United Nations World Food Summit (Rome, 1996).

1997

Project leader for the assessment of predictable impacts of soil erosion by water in the catchment area of the planned Konavosko Polje reservoir.

1998 – 2003

Project leader and/or collaborator in studies of soil pollution consequences caused by accidental pipeline ruptures at multiple sites in Pannonian Croatia.

1991 – present

Within a multidisciplinary project of permanent ecosystem monitoring in the impact area of CPS Molve, he conceptualised and founded the agroecosystem monitoring task, led it until 2010, and thereafter continued as a collaborator.

2000 – 2001

Collaborator in the preparation of the first national report of the Republic of Croatia on climate change.

2001 – 2003

Collaborator in studies on the environmental impacts of oil and gas exploitation facilities in several counties.

2002 – 2003

Project leader for an agroecological elaboration of soil recultivation procedures at abandoned oil/gas fields and surrounding wells.

2004 – 2005

Collaborator in a project exploring the possibility of injecting oil industry waste into abandoned wells and assessing consequences for soil and the environment.

2005 – 2015

Research and studies on the condition and predictable impacts of planned hydropower facilities on the environment and agriculture.

2009 – 2012

External advisor in the development of a greening project for the phosphogypsum landfill of Petrokemija – Kutina, with proposals of plant species and substrates.

2015

Preparation of the agronomic basis for irrigation projects – analysis of needs and benefits, and crop production systems under irrigation in different agroecological conditions (Lukač, Pobosuće, Novigrad Dalmatinski).