Invitation to excursion to Croatia 2024

Above: Coast of the island Susak, photo: M. Maslać.

Invitation to excursion to Croatia 2024

Croatia, Adriatic Sea, islands of Lošinj and Susak, 21 - 25 February

The joint excursion 2023 organised by the Croatian Botanical Society (HBoD) and Bryologisch-lichenologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Mitteleuropa (BLAM) will take us to the islands of Lošinj and the smaller adjacent island of Susak in the Northern Adriatic. The island of Lošinj is covered with Mediterranean vegetation (remnants of the Quercus ilex forests, macchia, garrigues and rocky pastures), while Susak is unique in large deposits of post ice age loess soils. The excursion will be focused on winter and early spring, mostly ephemeral bryophytes and lichens. Both islands are bryologically and lichenologically very poorly researched. Most of the data are very old; thus, we expect a substantial contribution to the knowledge of these two groups.

Registration for the excursion must be made by 30^th November 2023 to the organisers (Vedran Šegota and Marko Doboš) by e-mail to hbod.botanic@gmail.com. Please provide the following data when registering: First and last name, date of arrival and departure, room preference (single or double) and room partner (if known), if possible, in English.

We have pre-booked the rooms in the Hotel Punta****, Šestavine 17, 51551 Veli Lošinj for accommodation. The hotel offers double rooms of different price categories, and single rooms are available only in limited numbers and for an extra charge. A double room with breakfast and dinner costs € 55.30 per person per night for a room with the park side view (the room with the seaside view costs € 62.80). The single room with breakfast and dinner costs € 85.30 per night for a room with the park side view (the room with the seaside view costs € 100.30). Pre-payment is not required. For more information about the hotel, visit https://www.losinj-hotels.com/de/hotels-und-villen/hotel-punta/.

Travelling

The travel to island should be organised individually. We encourage the participants to use shared transportation.  The island can be reached by ferry from two directions – from the east, via the island of Krk (ferry line Valbiska–Merag) and from the west from the peninsula of Istra (ferry line Brestova–Porozina). Please organise your travel according to ferry schedules available on https://www.jadrolinija.hr/de/uber-uns/schiffe/fahrschiffe. For the visit of island of Susak an additional cost of € 2.26 per person for a return ticket for a smaller boat will be charged.

Travel allowance

BLAM will reimburse students and trainees up to 70% of the travel costs (max. 300 € / person). A form to apply for the subsidy can be found here.

Presentations

Due to the short days in February, we encourage participants to give lectures and presentations in the late afternoon and the evening, preferably in English. Lectures and presentations can be registered with Vedran Šegota, indicating the title (vedran.segota@biol.pmf.hr).

Information:

hbod.botanic@gmail.com