Geographical location:
Europe/Middle-East > Eastern Europe > Bosnia and Herzogowina
Summary
Rising from the base of the Zelengora Mountains, the Neretva River flows
through Bosnia and Herzegovina and spills out into the Adriatic Sea on
the Croatian coast. But urban and industrial development, agriculture
and hydropower plants are having a major impact on the river and its
biodiversity.
WWF is working in Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure nature conservation
and sustainable development of the Neretva river basin area, and that
river management is in line with European Union environmental standards.
Background
Bosnia and Herzegovina is situated in Southeastern Europe, in the
central part of the Balkan peninsula, has a land area of 51,000 km2 and
an estimated population of 3.5 million people, and is one of Europe’s
great reservoirs of natural resources. The land is mainly mountainous
with an average altitude of 500m. Of the total land area, 5% are
lowlands, 24% hills, 42% mountains and 29% karst area. Forest and forest
lands cover about 50% of the territory, while the total agricultural
land covers 2.5 million ha (or 0.7 ha per capita).
The Neretva river is 225 km long and extends through the 2 entities of
Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation and the Serbian Republic of Bosnia
(Republika Srpska) for a total surface of 10,100 km2, while the lower
basin is located in Croatia covering a surface of 280 km2. The main
cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Mostar, Konjic and Capljina with an
estimated population of 156,000 people, while in the Croatian part the
main urban areas are Metkovic, Ploce and Opuzen (approximately 28,000
people).
Objectives
1. Set the ground for mapping biodiversity values and hotspots in the
Neretva basin.
2. Initiate a multi-stakeholder process for integrated river management.
3. Strengthen civil society to ensure proper public participation in
river management and support a democratic development.
Solution
The overall goal of the project is to ensure the conservation and
sustainable development of the Neretva river basin, serving as a base
for long-term prosperity and development in the region.
The immediate goal of the project is to facilitate the development of an
integrated river basin management model for the Neretva river basin,
linking water management and biodiversity conservation.