Early morning view from the road D25 at the SW slopes of the Velebit mountains across the Velebit Channel to the island of Pag with the suburbs of the town of the same name. The barren appearance of the island is the result of early deforestation, which might have started with the Romans and intensified when the island belonged to the Venetian Republic. As a consequence, the strong bora winds led to soil degradation and still impede recovery of the ecosystems.