http___www.tzmetkovic.hr_hr_metkovic_item_122-bogatstvo-neretvanske-flore-i-faune.html_1.xml
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The area of the lower Neretva is a unique eco-system rich in various plant and animal species. The river, sea and karst have created conditions under which a multitude of species have found ideal habitats. They are located in areas of both flowing and stagnant water, on the banks of the river, in the reeds, in damp meadows, in woods of alder and willow, but also in areas created by man: fields, embankments, canals, settlements. Previous large expanses of patchwork swamp have been reduced and controlled, surrounded by huge areas of cultivated or inhabited land. However, unlike other milieux in the world, the anthropomorphic factor has not greatly changed the nature of the valley. Therefore, it remains today, although to a lesser degree, a treasury of natural richness. The original woods of the surrounding hills have largely disappeared and been replaced by maquis and rocky pasture; however, luscious vegetation developed in the flooded part of the delta. Judging by the size and variety of the flora, there is nothing similar in the Adriatic and its significance is especially great in the lower Neretva ecosystems. The most wide-spread freshwater plants, recognizable by their pads, is the white lily and the yellow lily. Reeds developed in more shallow water, whilst tall bull-rushes grow in drainage areas. As the water in many parts of the delta is brackish due to the influence of the sea, conditions for the development of halophytes are favourable. At the very estuary of the Neretva the association of Juncetum maritimi and the meadows of bush-shaped Caryophyllales is advanced. The brackish quality of the Neretva water is a precondition for spawning and supporting various aquatic species and the Neretva is known as the best environment for freshwater and river fish in Croatia. There are various species of grey mullet, eel and snake-like fish of a complicated biological cycle. This interesting fish has aroused scientific interest for more than two thousand years - from Aristotle to Pliny, through the young Sigmund Freud, to modern biologists. While it is born and dies in the sea, it lives in freshwater rivers, but despite the enigma regarding its life cycle, one thing is sure - it tastes very good. The ancient writer Atheneus thought the same when he wrote an ode to it in his Gastronomic Conversations. The large green frog has become a symbol of the region. We can trace it through some place names and that of a small mountain, in the names of historical counties (Zupa Zaba). It is a very popular gastronomic speciality of the region and can be combined with eel in the well-known “Neretva brujet” (brodetto). There are also various species of amphibians and reptiles, which are not eaten: grass snake, snake-lizard, Dalmatian wall lizard, etc. Numerous mammals live in the nearby mountains and in the valley and the Neretva is also known for a rare and endangered otter. Wolves and wild cats are also protected mammals. Sixteen freshwater species of water snail and several species of crab live in the waters of the delta and the swamp area is also ideal for many of the 307 insects and more than 250 butterflies.
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Donjoneretvanski prostor jedinstveni je ekosustav bogat različitim biljnim i životinjskim vrstama. Rijeka, more i krš zajedničkim su djelovanjem stvarali uvjete u kojima je mnoštvo vrsta pronalazilo idealna staništa. Upravo je za Neretvu svojstvena velika raznolikost staništa koju čine vodene površine tekućica i stajaćica, obale rijeke, tršćaci, vlažne livade, šume johe i vrba, morska obala, ali i onih koja su nastala čovjekovim djelovanjem: polja, nasipi, kanali, naselja. Gotovo nepregledne močvarne površine danas su, na žalost, ljudskim djelovanjem svedene na bitno manju mjeru, na izdvojene "krpice" prvobitnog izgleda i statusa, okružene golemim površinama kultiviranog ili naseljenog zemljišta. Ipak, za razliku od drugih sličnih područja u svijetu, antropogeni činitelj nije u pretjerano velikoj mjeri ugrozio izvornost doline. Tako je ona i danas, u ponešto smanjenom opsegu, još uvijek riznica prirodnog blaga. Ljudskim utjecajem prvobitna je šumska vegetacija okolnih brda. U Neretvi su, uz samo ušće, osobito dobro razvijene zajednice primorskih sitova i livade grmolike caklenjače. Bočatost neretvanskih voda preduvjet je bogatstva ribljih vrsta koje žive, hrane se ili mrijeste u ovim vodotocima. Iako sve hrvatske rijeke jadranskog slijeva još uvijek omogućuju opstanak mnogim vrstama, Neretva pruža utočište neusporedivo najvećem broju slatkovodnih i brakičnih riba. Od najčešćih i ribolovno najzanimljivijih spomenimo ovdje više vrsta cipala i nadasve jegulju, neobičnu zmijoliku ribu kompliciranog biološkog ciklusa. Više od dvije tisuće godina pobuđuje ona živi znanstveni interes, od Aristotela i Plinija, preko mladog Sigmunda Freuda, do suvremenih biologa. Jegulja, poznato je, rađa se i umire u moru, a živi u slatkim riječnim vodama. Mnogo je tajni i mnogo dvojbi još uvijek oko njezina životnog ciklusa, no jedno je posve sigurno: vrlo je ukusna. Tako je mislio i antički pisac Atenej koji joj je ispjevao odu u svojim Gastronomskim razgovorima. Među vrlo brojne vodozemce spada velika zelena žaba. Ona je, zapravo i posvuda nazočan simbol našeg kraja. Susrest ćemo je u nazivima mjesta i jedne (manje) planine, u imenima povijesnih pokrajina (Župa Žaba), no najčešće ćemo je susresti na trpezi kao još jednu odliku gastronomske specifičnosti našeg kraja. Tu, u loncu ona postaje "neobično blizak srodnik" jegulji s kojom u simbiozi čini domaći neretvanski brodet, koji se kod nas zove brujet, tako posebnim. Uz veliku zelenu žabu područje nastanjuje još dosta vrsta vodozemaca i gmazova (koje ne jedemo): bjelouška, ribarica, blavor, krška gušterica... Po okolnim brdima i u dolini žive i mnogobrojni sisavci. U Neretvi prebiva rijetka i ugrožena vidra. Osim nje, skupini strogo zaštićenih sisavaca pripadaju vukovi i divlje mačke. U vodama delte živi čak šesnaest slatkovodnih vrsta vodenih puževa i nekoliko vrsta rakova. Sasvim je razumljivo da u ovako močvarnom prostoru mora biti mnogo vrsta kukaca, čak 307. Samo leptira ima više od 250 vrsta.