Being one of the last habitats of the griffon vulture in Europe, the gorge itself was proclaimed a nature reserve. The people who live in the nearby villages Gornja and Donja Tresnjica are aware of the treasure they owe, so they are making great efforts to protect the birds. They leave for them dead animals which have died of natural causes or by accident in a couple of places called carcass dumps. This way the vulture helps preserve the ecosystem going round and prevents infectious diseases from spreading.