VIPOTNIK PLANTED YELLOW BEECH, FIRST PROTECTED TREE SPECIES IN SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, APRIL 22 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister for Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology Bojan Vipotnik planted today in Banja Luka seedlings of the yellow beech, the first protected tree in Republika Srpska.

The minister planted the seedlings in the protected area of the University Campus on the occasion of Earth Day, with the aim of improving the environment and preserving natural resources.

Vipotnik said this was the best way to mark Earth Day, adding that the "yellow beech is a natural phenomenon due to its specific characteristics".

"The yellow beech is the first tree that was protected in Republika Srpska, back in 2012", Vipotnik told reporters.

The Director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska, Jasna Milešević, said the yellow beech was protected as a phenomenon, adding that the tree is characterized by the fact that its leaves remain yellow throughout the entire year.

"They do not fall off or change color", Milešević explained.

The Director of the Institute for Genetic Resources of the Banja Luka University, Marina Antić, said it is necessary to jointly protect nature in order to preserve it for future generations.

Seedlings were also planted together with the minister by girls from the "Marina Maljković" Women's Basketball Movement.