Essential reading:  T. Skračić, Waypoint – English Textbook for Maritime Students, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Split 2010, Units  T. Trappe & G. Tullis, Intelligent Business, Longman 2005, Units 12-14

 The waters around Lastovo are home to important fisheries, loggerhead turtles, red coral and other endangered species. There are two species of dolphins: bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin. In addition to monk seals, which can rarely be seen, dolphins are the last mammals that dwell in the Adriatic Sea.

 One of the most significant sea communities in this area are the meadows of the Posidonia sea grass. A quarter of all known species of the Mediterranean Sea live on these meadows because they are important for reproduction, growth and providing shelter to many organisms.

 Among other things Posidonia links sediment, diminishes erosion and enriches the sea with oxygen. In most of the Mediterranean it is endangered by trawling, dynamite fishing, anchoring and pollution, but it is still relatively well preserved in Middle and South Adriatic.

 In addition to marine diversity, Lastovo and the surrounding islets are home to many rare orchids and endemic plants, animals such as the endemic karst lizard, and birds such as the Eleonora's falcon, yellow legged-gull, and pallid swift.

 Local NGO Sunce and other environmentalists supported efforts to have Lastovo declared a Nature park, which occurred in Helped by WWF, this local-led initiative was the first in Croatia, where protected areas are generally viewed with suspicion. A part of the nearby Mljet island is a National park, but the local people do not like this. They can not do anything without permission, and they are excluded from managing the park. A Nature park is different – it allows for human activities and so makes more sense for island communities.

 The carrying capacity of Lastovo will be determined and this will provide an established limit to the maximum number of tourists who can stay on the island at one time. In addition, Nature Park status will help control illegal building and will also help improve health care, ferry links and other services. It is not just the island’s nature that needs to be saved, but also its people.

 WWF and Sunce’s support is part of a wider project to establish a "Blue Corridor" — a 4200 km² stretch of islands and water that will include different types of protected areas and zones, all managed by local people. The Blue Corridor, especially the Palagruža archipelago and the Jabuka pit, is rich in commercially important species like Norway shrimp, hake, striped mullet and small blue fish: sprat, pilchard, and anchovy.

 Indented coast and numerous shallows of these islands are abundant in highly appreciated lobsters and fish such as sea bream, grouper, and common dentex. Within the zone, WWF and Sunce will be helping islanders to develop responsible ecotourism and other sustainable livelihoods, not just to help conserve biodiversity but also to help the people in the long term.

1. Answer the following questions: a)Name some endangered or rare species that live in the area of Lastovo. b)Name some commercial marine species that live in the area. c)What are the most serious problems that the island is coping with? d)Why do environmentalists believe that mass tourism on Lastovo is a bad idea?

2. Translate the following sentences into English: a)Privezište (berths / docks) je dijelom smješteno u uvali Velo Lago, a dijelom u uvali Malo Lago. Raspolaže s 50 vezova opremljenih strujom i vodom. Crpka za gorivo nalazi se u mjestu (town) Ubli udaljenom 3 km (1 NM). b)Razvoj nautičkog turizma ne zasniva se samo na krajoliku i slikovitim mjestima, čistom moru i razvedenosti obale, brojnim otocima i arhipelazima. c)Konoba nudi lastovske specijalitete (specialties): ribu, jastoge, rižoto i salate od plodova mora (seafood salads), janjetinu, te vino Augusta Insula koje je dobitnik srebrne medalje za kvalitetu.

d)Autentične odlike, te usvajanje (implementation) modernih nautičkih trendova, pomoći će našim marinama da postanu prepoznatljiv brand. e)U vrijeme globalizacije izbor turističke destinacije ovisi o nijansama. f)Zaštićena kao izvorni artefakt (genuine / original artefact / AmE artifact), paška čipka (lace) jedan je od rijetkih autohtonih suvenira kojega se zaista isplati kupiti. g)Na Prviću stalno prebiva (live) jedva nešto više od stotinu ljudi, djece gotovo i nema, a nema niti bilo kakvog oblika privrede. h)Obalni razvoj utječe na (impacts) morske ekosustave i njihovu bioraznolikost na izravan i neizravan način.