PANCHIC'S SPRUCE THREATENED IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Panchic's spruce is on the list of endangered and strictly protected wild species, and as noted by the Ministry, drying and a reduction in the number of trees have been recorded at isolated sites in the Republic of Srpska.

PHOTO: SRNA

The ministry emphasized that, in the past five years, two of the largest, best, and most stable populations of Panchic's spruce in the Višegrad area were damaged by fires.

"Present threats further indicate the endangerment of the species and the need for interventions aimed at its survival," the Ministry stated.

The initiative for declaring Panchic's spruce as a species of republican significance was submitted by the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage.

Based on the expert foundation prepared by the Republic Institute in cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Banja Luka, the Ministry has prepared a Proposal for a decision on declaring Panchic's spruce a species of republican significance, which will soon be presented to the Government of Srpska.

Panchic's spruce is an endemic species of the Balkan Peninsula and a tertiary relic, with an estimated evolutionary age of 20 million years.

It was discovered 150 years ago and is one of the oldest tree species and the latest described conifer species in Europe.