Croatia plants its first ‘Crošnjica’

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

KAMANJE, 23 May 2025 – On the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Croatian Scout Association and creative agency HEARTH launched Croatia’s latest eco-initiative, planting the very first Crošnjica—a small, honey-friendly forest—in the municipality of Kamanje.

Over 120 volunteers gathered on Thursday to plant the unique 200m² forest, designed to support local biodiversity and help pollinators like bees.

Named Crošnjica, the mini-forest is made up of native trees, shrubs, and ground flora, planted using the Japanese Miyawaki method—a technique that recreates dense, fast-growing native forests with minimal maintenance and high biodiversity.

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

A Forest for Bees and Biodiversity

This first Crošnjica, described as “honey-friendly,” was specially designed to support bee populations, which play a vital role in ecosystems.

The forest includes 250 plants across 40 different native species, such as oak, wild apple, pear, cherry, chestnut, willow, maple, linden, rowan, and other local varieties.

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

Children from the local primary school and kindergarten joined forces with adult volunteers to plant different layers of the forest. While adults handled larger trees, youngsters planted low-growing shrubs and perennials.

After planting, volunteers spread beech mulch to protect the new plants and laid a gravel path with wooden stumps to serve as an outdoor classroom.

Each plant species was clearly labelled in both Croatian and Latin, ensuring the space can be educational as well as environmental.

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

The planting ceremony was attended by local leaders including Kamanje Mayor Damir Mateljan, parish priest Matija Slišković, and Sven Kallen, founder of the Dutch Life Terra Foundation—Europe’s largest tree-planting initiative.

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

“I must say, despite my many years of experience, I’ve never seen a Miyawaki forest so well planned and executed,” said Kallen. “You’ve raised the bar for similar projects across Europe.”

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

The forest was planted on land owned by the local parish, who donated it for this purpose. Life Terra is one of the many partners supporting the project, which also includes Generali Insurance as a key sponsor.

Croatia plants its first ‘Crošnjica’

A National Vision for Mini-Forests

The Crošnjica project is the latest green venture by the Croatian Scout Association and HEARTH, already known for award-winning campaigns like Boranka and CO2MPENSATING BY PLANTING. Created in partnership with forestry and agronomy experts, the initiative aims to expand across Croatia.

(Photo: Igor Pavlović)

Future Crošnjicas will be tailored to different local needs—ranging from urban green spaces to edible forests—making them a flexible tool for sustainability and community engagement.

Organisers are now calling on local governments, schools, and companies to join the movement and help bring more Crošnjicas to life.

Check out the video below. More details on the website here.