The first natural history monograph published by the Krka National Park was presented: The Krka River: A Gift of Nature, by Drago Marguš

The Krka River has formed seven magnificent waterfalls along its course from Zvonimir's Knin to Krešimir's Šibenik, along with diverse and colorful flora and fauna, as well as caves full of wonders.

All this composes the rich natural heritage of the Krka National Park, as described and presented through years of experience, and also much love and attention, by Drago Marguš PhD, professional manager of the Krka National Park.

The Krka National Park natural history monograph The Krka River: A Gift of Nature was realized as a part of the project The Unknown Krka: hidden treasures of the upper and middle reaches of the Krka River, co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds. Marguš offers a detailed insight with numeropus photographs in this monograph into the area of the Krka National Park, which is an indispensable home to thousands of plant and animal species, making it one one of the most valuable habitats in Europe.

“The Krka National Park is an extremely valuable protected area, and along with protecting the natural features and the rich cultural and historical heritage, it also carries out extensive publishing activities. The books describing the invaluable biodiversity for the first time include a monograph on the natural history of the Krka National Park, the 57th edition in our series. The natural history monograph is a magnificent work by the author Drago Marguš, our long term expert manager, who instilled his love and attention for the Krka River into it, combining his experience, knowledge, and the insights he gained while studying the Krka,” stated Nella Slavica, Director of the Krka National Park.

Drago Marguš's “Bibliography of Works about the Krka River” was the first book published by the Krka National Park. It was published jointly by the Juraj Šižgorić City Library in Šibenik and the then Management Board of the Krka National Park in 1994. Twenty-five years have passed since then, during which time the Krka National Park has published fifty-seven bibliographic editions, with Drago Marguš, PhD, as the author of twenty editions.

„Knjiga ima 223 stranice i podijeljena je u devet poglavlja. U njoj su sadržani rezultati 33 godine istraživanja u Nacionalnom parku ‘Krka’. Velika pozornost posvećena je endemičnim, zaštićenim i ugroženim vrstama. Posebna vrijednost su zadnja dva poglavlja: Izvori i Dodatak, koja sadrže 243 prirodoslovne reference i 23 tablice s opisom flore i faune koje će biti od velike koristi svim budućim istraživačima Krke. U knjizi se nalazi 446 fotografija 49 autora, većinom znanstvenika i stručnjaka koji su radili na Krki i profesionalnog fotografa Marija Romulića. Zahvaljujem se svima koji su sudjelovali u izradi ove knjige, kolegama prirodoslovcima koji su mi ustupili svoje knjige i na kraju, mom dugogodišnjem suradniku i velikom prijatelju, ravnatelju Gradske knjižnice „Juraj Šižgorić“ Vilijamu Lakiću,  koji je lektorirao svih dvadeset mojih knjiga i što smo ih svih dvadeset predstavili u ovom hramu knjige“, kazao je dr. sc. Drago Marguš.

Knjigu su predstavili dugogodišnji suradnici Javne ustanove „Nacionalni park Krka“ dr. sc. Gordan Lukač, stručni voditelj Javne ustanove „Nacionalni park Paklenica“ i prof. dr. sc. Vladimir Hršak, botaničar, koji već desetljećima, s puno ljubavi, istražuju rijeku Krku.

“The chapter on the vegetative cover illustrates the plant species and communities that exist in the Krka National Park very well. The vegetative-geographical position of the Krka River is very interesting because it is located on the border of two vegetative-geographical regions, the sub-Mediterranean and the Mediterranean. The book contains information about the types of vegetation, especially secondary types, those created by human influence. In addition to the list of species, an analysis of the flora according to different criteria was also presented: taxonomical, endemic species, protected and endangered species, and invasive (allochthonous species),” said Prof. Vladimir Hršak, PhD.

“This monograph lists 1,500 animal species, which makes almost 2,600 species together with the plants, which is really a great feature. The highest abundance and diversity are noted among the invertebrates, including certain insects that are very good indicators of the quality of aquatic ecosystems. The monograph also lists 38 species of dragonflies, some of which are depicted with exceptional photographs. In the Park, you will most often notice diurnal butterflies. Some 81 species are shown here, such as the beautiful Easter butterfly or the Swallow's Tail. 331 vertebrate species were also recorded, including 22 reptile species and 229 bird species, among which birds of prey such as short-toed snake eagles or golden eagles are particularly important as they show habitat conservation, and two years ago a lanner falcon was documented in the area, a critically endangered species throughout Croatia. There are 45 species of mammals, of which wildcats and otters should be emphasized,” stated Gordan Lukač, PhD, expert manager of the Paklenica National Park.

The book was printed in 700 copies in Croatian and 300 copies in English and can be found in city libraries throughout the county.