EXPERT OPINIONS ON THE PLANNED HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE NATIONAL PARK Editor: Nataša Crnković

Proofreading to the English version: Iva Miljević

Translation: Centar za razvoj “GROW”

Design: Saša Đorđević / www.madeinbunker.com

Cover Design: Sandro Drinovac

Print: Grafid Press: 300 copies

Publisher: Center for Environment, 24 Cara Lazara St, 78000 Banja Luka Tel: 051/433-140; Fax: 051/433-141 E-mail: [email protected] www.czzs.org

Center for Environment is a nonprofit, non-governmental and non-partisan organization of professionals and activists dedicated to the protection and improvement of the environment, advocating principles of sustainable development and greater public participation in decision making about the environment.

Authors bear the responsibility for the accuracy of the stated data.

A big thank you to all the authors of photographs on making the materials available:

Andrija Vrdoljak (pages: 6-7, 124-125) Đorđije Milanović (pages: 10-11, 21, 24, 94-95, 108-109, 120, 128-129) Boris Čikić (pages: 16-17, 35, 60) Željko Sekulić (pages: 28-29, 68-69, 78, 82, 91, 98-99, 104-105, 112) Igor Šamara (pages: 38-39, 75) Mato Gotovac (page 63) Jasmin Pašić (page 87) Nedim Jukić (page 117)

2 EXPERT OPINIONS ON THE PLANNED HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA

DECEMBER 2014.

3 Nataša Crnkovic B. Sc. Ecology and Environmental Protection / Center for Environment

THE BATTLE FOR SUTJESKA

The Campaign The Battle for Sutjeska was initiated as a response to the plans to construct small hydro power plants in the National Park Sutjeska. The Investor, “ Hydro Energy“ from Ugljevik intends to construct five small hydro power plants, two on the river Sutjeska, and three on Hrčavka. The Republic of Srpska Government proclaimed these small hydro power plants, with a capacity of mere 13 MW, public interest, although they are planned to be constructed in the heart of our oldest and biologically most diverse national park. Experts in the field, local community, civil sector and the wider public are strongly opposing these plans, pointing out long-lasting consequences and economic viability of the project. Plans to construct small hydro power plants in the National Park Sutjeska are seen as devastating evidence of inability to preserve this biologically and historically unique area, the area that witnesses the heroic battle and jealously keeps the unique flora and fauna of the world importance. If the hydro power plants were to be constructed, they would imperil pecies that have found their habitat in the canyons of Sutjeska and Hrčavka rivers, and the very existence of the National park would be questioned. Despite the facts, the Republic of Srpska Government continues to apply a set of narrow procedures and laws, which are often breached by the govern- ment itself, or passed according to the will of investors, without taking realistic and moral insight into the essence of the issue, ignoring appeals of experts.

4 At the same time, the Government has been deaf to appeals of international institutions for environment protection. This publication is one of many attempts to explain an issue which became clear to many people long time ago... In front of you are opinions of experts, professors, enthusiasts and true fighters standing in defence of Sutjeska. They are brave enough to confront these crazy plans as they defend this unique area clearly and with arguments. They are heroes and heroines of our modern times who use their knowledge and skills to protect Sutjeska. Some of them have devoted their lives to explore Sutjeska, and have discovered new species there, hence they provide their support and motiva- tion to continue the fight until we reach our common goal – preservation of the . Experts are obviously ignored in the process of awarding concession, as well as when special planning documentation is developed for the national park and the EIA for the hydro power plants. This publication is an attempt to ensure that the public can hear the voice of those who know this area best. It glorifies the Sutjeska in the manner it deserves to be glorified, with the idea to make those who are not aware, or who bluntly close their eyes before the greatness of the Sutjeska Park to become aware of at least a part of its greatness. Centre for Environment demands that competent institutions reject the plans that would destroy the Sutjeska Park and to address similar projects in the future carefully and strategically. Although hydro power plants are presented as renewable energy sources, and we do not deny it principally, when they are placed at inadequate locations, they can completely destroy sensitive river can- yon eco systems, which by rule abound in many endemic and rare species. Lack of clear criteria in selecting rivers and river systems for hydro power projects has brought us the situation in which the most valuable rivers are threatened to be destroyed, the rivers like Sana, , , , Bistrica, ... If we fail to defend Sutjeska, how could we hope to save other areas? Rapid and uncontrolled pressure against the nature of Bosnia and Herze- govina has to be stopped. Competent bodies should decide whether they want to destroy all our rivers forever, for small interest, or to preserve them as the most important resources for future generations. If they made the decision without addressing the opinion of experts and the needs of the local and wider community, they would take on a great moral and social responsibility. If there is a wish to keep the population in rural areas, it is necessary to protect the riv- ers, ensure water for water supply, for agriculture, protect the nature, tourism and industry and all of this in the period of fast climate changes and when these resources are slowly slipping out of our hands.

5 HRČAVKA CANYON

6 7 SUTJESKA IS ROARING AND FLOWING

AREA OF THE RIVER SUTJESKA BASIN LIES IN THE ZONE OF HIGH MOUNTAINS IN THE SOUTHEAST OF , AT THE BORDER WITH . THE BASIN OF THE SUTJESKA RIVER IS SITU- ATED IN THE WESTERN ZONE OF YOUNGER MOUNTAIN RANGES THAT ARE TECTONICALLY CLEARLY SHAPED DURING THE PERIOD OF YOUNGER GEOLOGICAL PERIOD-CENOZOIC. IT IS LOCATED IN THE DINARIC REGION, CHARACTERIZED BY KARST MORPH-SCULPTURE AND FLUVIAL DENUDATION RELIEF. IN GENERAL, THE AREA IS SITUATED IN THE BASIN OF THE RIVER DRINA, AND THE BLACK SEA, WHILE ITS UPPER STREAM SEEMS TO HAVE CREPT INTO THE AREA OF THE BASIN. FROM THE SOUTHWEST PART, THERE APPEAR WIDE FIELDS IN THE KARST AREA OR BLIND RAVINES, AND IN THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE GORGE-CANYON VALLEY WITH EMPHASIZED TRACES OF PLEISTOCENE GLACIATIONS. IN GEO-TECTONIC TERMS, THE BASIN IS CUT INTO THE ZONE OF MESOZOIC LIMESTONE AND PALAEOZOIC SCHIST. IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHIC TERMS THIS AREA BELONGS TO THE HIGHLAND AND MOUNTAIN RELIEF, WITH HIGH, DEEP, OPEN AND MOSTLY BARE KARST. IN THE CANYON PART OF SUTJESKA, RINSING PROCESSES ARE PARTICULARLY EXPRESSED, WHICH CONDITIONED THE EMERGENCE OF A WHOLE SPECTRUM OF MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURES.

SUTJESKA, THIS IMPETUOUS MOUNTAIN RIVER THAT FLOWS THROUGH ONE OF THE BIGGEST CANYONS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, HAS MANAGED TO MOVE TWO BIG MOUNTAINS BY ITS LONG-LASTING ACTIVI- TIES AND TO CUT ITSELF IN BETWEEN THE GIANT MT. AT ITS RIGHT SIDE AND MT. AT ITS LEFT.

THE RIVER SUTJESKA CANYON IS MORE THAN 1500 M DEEP. AND IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REFUGIUMS OR SHELTERS OF TERTIARY FLORA. MANY PLANT SPECIES HAVE SURVIVED THE GLACIAL PERIOD HERE AFTER FLEE- ING FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS. MANY OF THEM ARE OF ENDEMIC AND RELICT CHARACTER. BESIDES THOSE THAT ARE TYPICAL FOR THE DINARIDES AND FOR THE BALKAN PENINSULA, THERE ARE STENO-ENDEMIC PLANT SPECIES, SOLELY CONNECTED TO THE CANYON OF THE SUTJESKA RIVER. AMONGST THEM, THERE SHOULD BE MENTIONED THE BELL FLOWER OF SUTJESKA (EDRAIANTHUS SUTJESKAE), ORIGINATING FROM THE WELL- KNOWN ENDEMIC GENUS. IT IS A SPECIES THAT LOVES ROCKS AND SHOWS THAT LIFE IS BORN FROM ROCKS HERE, THAT HERE, ON THESE CLIFFS, INTENSIVE ENDEMIC PROCESSES ARE GOING ON TODAY. THE SPECIES EMERGE ON THESE CLIFFS AND THESE ARE MAINLY STENO-ENDEMIC FORMS. EDRAIANTHUS OF SUTJESKA OR THE BELL FLOWER OF SUTJESKA IS VERY CLOSE TO THE ROCK-LOVING PLANT DAPHNE MALYIANA, EVER-

8 GREEN BUSH THAT COVERS THE MOST INACCESSIBLE ROCK CRACKS, STARTING FROM THE LOWEST PART OF THIS GORGEOUS CANYON, AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO ITS BEAUTIFUL SUBALPINE BELT. IT GOT ITS NAME AFTER THE FAMOUS RESEARCHER OF FLORA IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, KARL MALI. HIS GODFATHER WAS OUR FAMOUS BOTANIST, VILOTIJE BLEČIĆ, WHO COLLECTED IT NOT FAR FROM THIS CANYON AND DESCRIBED IT, THUS PRESENTING IT TO THE WIDER SCIENTIFIC PUBLIC.

THE CATCHMENT AREA OF THE RIVER SUTJESKA HAS THE FORM OF AN ALMOST OBTUSE TRIANGLE, AND ITS SIDES SPREAD TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST-NORTHEAST DIRECTION, SOUTHWEST-SOUTHEAST AND EAST- WEST DIRECTION, SO THAT THIS CATCHMENT IS SITUATED BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN MASSIFS, LEBRŠNIK, ŽIVNJA AND ZELENGORA IN THE SOUTHWEST, AND LEBRŠNIK, VOLUJAK AND MAGLIĆ IN THE EAST, WHILE IN THE NORTH THE CATCHMENT RELIES ON THE NORTHEAST FOOTHILL REGION OF ZELENGORA, TRESKAVICA AND VJETRENICA MOUNTAINS. THE DENSITY OF THE RIVER NETWORK IS 380 M/KM2, WHICH IS BELLOW AVERAGE HYDROLOGICAL DENSITY IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. AVERAGE LATITUDE OF THE CATCH- MENT IS A BIT ABOVE 1300 M. THE LENGTH OF THE FLOW IS ABOVE 30 KM, AND THE TOTAL CATCHMENT AREA AMOUNTS TO ABOUT 322 KM2. THE LANDSCAPE AND THE ECO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS THE VEGETATION AND HIGH AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION MAKE SUTJESKA A TURBULENT MOUNTAIN RIVER, WITH GREAT FLUCTUATIONS OF WATER, BOTH DURING THE ANNUAL CHANGE IN WATER LEVELS AND IN THE COURSE OF SHORTER PERIODS. NUMEROUS WELLS FOUND IN THE ZONE OF THE SO CALLED WERFENIAN SLATES AND FLYSCH SEDIMENTS HAVE INFLUENCE ON THE REGIME OF THE RIVER SUTJESKA. UNDERGROUND WA- TERS NORMALLY APPEAR IN THE FORM OF AQUIFERS. THESE ARE MOSTLY SMALL SPRINGS, FENUGREEK AND FRACTURE SOURCES AND MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE SOURCE BELT IN THE AREA OF ČEMERNO.

THE RIVER SUTJESKA APPEARS AT THE CONFLUENCE OF SOURCE WELLS AT THE FOOTHILL REGION OF VOLU- JAK. IN THIS AREA, THE RIVER SUTJESKA FLOWS AS A RAPID MOUNTAIN STREAM, IN THE DIRECTION OF SOUTHEAST-NORTHWEST. SLIGHTLY BELLOW THIS AREA, THE RIVER SUTJESKA ENTERS A PICTURESQUE AND ABOVE ALL DYNAMIC CANYON, WHICH IS CUT IN THE TRIASSIC LIMESTONE AND BETWEEN THE PROSJEČENICA CAVE FROM THE MOUNTAIN ZELENGORA’S SIDE AND VRATAR FROM THE SIDE OF VOLUJAK. SOMEWHERE IN THE HEART OF THIS CANYON, TO ITS RIGHT SIDE, THE SUŠKI STREAM FLOWS IN AND THE PRIMEVAL FOREST PERUĆICA IS ONLY THREE KILOMETRES DOWNSTREAM.

9 RIVER SUTJESKA

10 11 FURTHER ON FROM THE LEFT SIDE, WATERS OF THE RIVER SUTJESKA ARE ENRICHED BY IT’S TRIBUTARY HRČAVKA, WHICH BRINGS IN ABUNDANCE OF WATER FROM THE NEIGHBOURING MOUNTAIN OF ZELENGORA. IN THE AREA OF THE VILLAGE OF SUHA, AT THE ESTUARY OF THE SUŠKI STREAM, EROSIVE EXTENSION OF THE VILLAGE SUHA OCCURRED IN THE PAST, OTHERWISE THE BIGGEST EROSIVE FORMATION IN THIS PART OF THE RIVER SUTJESKA.

WHAT IS SURELY ONE OF THE LARGEST REFUGIUMS BOTH OF GLACIAL AND TERTIARY FLORA AND VEGETA- TION IS THE AREA ENCLOSED BY THE MOUNTAIN GIANTS MAGLIĆ, VOLUJAK AND ZELENGORA IN THE AREA OF THE SOUTHEAST BOSNIA. THE BEST PRESERVED PRIMEVAL FOREST CONTENTS ARE FOUND IN THE HEART OF A VERY WIDE SPECTRE OF FOREST COMMUNITIES THAT INCLUDE A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF PLANT AND ANI- MAL SPECIES. PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AMONG THEM IS A HIGH NUMBER OF LIGNEOUS PLANTS. FAMOUS NATURALIST FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, PROFESSOR PAVLE FUKAREK, IN HIS RESEARCHE CONDUCTED IN THE LAST 50 YEARS, FOUND MORE THAT 150 LIGNEOUS PLANTS IN THIS AREA, WHICH IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE RICHEST AREA IN THE WHOLE OF . APART FROM BROADLEAVED DECIDUOUS SPECIES, VARIOUS TYPES OF PINE DRAW PARTICULAR ATTENTION OF RESEARCHERS AS WELL.

AT THE PLACES WHERE SILICATE, IMPERMEABLE AND CARBONATE, WATER-PERMEABLE ROCKS DIRECTLY KISS EACH OTHER, AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN PULSES, SPRINGS OF COLD MOUNTAIN WATER, SO CALLED “SNJEŽNICA” EMERGE. MANY OF THESE SPRINGS ARE CONSTANT AND ALIVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FEEDING THE STREAMS THAT FLOW TOWARDS THE RIVER SUTJESKA WITH COLD AND CLEAN WATER. THESE SPRINGS ARE ALSO HABITATS TO MANY WATER INSECTS THAT BURST OUT OF LARVAE AT THE TIME THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS ARE FLOWERING, WHILE THEIR BUZZING TURNS THE ENTIRE WORLD HERE INTO A GREAT HIVE. THE RIVER SUTJESKA CAREFULLY COLLECTS AND EMBRACES ALL THE WATERS FROM THESE CRAGS AND THE MOUNTAIN ICEFIELDS, AND THUS EMPOWERED IT BREAKS THROUGH THE FOOT OF THE CANYON, DEFYING MANY STONE OBSTACLES, HIGH CLIFFS AND THE LOCAL BLUE SKY. THE RIVER SUTJESKA IS SUCH A POWERFUL AND STRONG RIVER THAT THE MAGICAL ENERGY OF ITS DROPS HAD IN THE PAST CUT THE TWO GIANT MOUNTAINS, THE MIGHTY MOUNTAIN OF ZELENGORA AND EVEN MORE POWERFUL MOUNTAIN OF VOLUJAK. GENUINE STONE SLEEPERS PROUDLY STAND ON THE STEEP CLIFFS NOWADAYS, TESTIFYING BY THEIR IMAGES THE TURBULENT HISTORY OF THIS AREA. ON ITS HIDDEN BANKS, FULL OF WARMTH AND SUN, MANY SNAKES DREAM THEIR MYSTICAL DREAMS COMING FROM ALL THE SIDES DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE TO EXCHANGE SNAKE LOVE THAT THEY HAD CHERISHED AND KEPT IN THE COURSE OF THE WHOLE YEAR. SNAKE LOVE IS SO GREAT THAT IT CALMS THEIR VIVID BODIES TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THEY

12 BECOME HELPLESS BEINGS. THAT IS WHY THEY SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE, TO LIVE IN THEIR SNAKE WORLD, ABIDING THEIR OWN LAWS. PASSING THROUGH THESE GORGES, THE RIVER SUTJESKA, A CLEAR, CLEAN, MOUNTAINOUSLY COLD AND FOR CENTURIES A BRAVE RIVER, ON ITS WINDING ROAD, KISSES AND CARESSES EACH STONE, AND TIRED OF FREQUENT RAPIDS AND PEARL WATERFALLS DOWNSTREAM FROM THE ESTUARY OF JAKI POTOK STREAM OF PERUĆICA, LEAVES ITS MOUNTAINOUS POWER TO BECOME A QUIETER RIVER, AND ONLY IN THE TIMID PLATEAU OF TJENTIŠTE, IT STARTS ITS STORY OF NATURE’S MAGIC, BOTH BOSNIAN AND HERZEGOVINIAN, ABOUT HUMAN DESTINY, AND IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THE LOVE THAT WATERED RIGHT HERE, LIKE BUNDLES OF RED LIGHT, WIDE AND GRASSY MEADOWS OF THIS TIMIDITY, HUMAN DESIRES THAT ARE MORE RUDDY THAN THE FLOWERS OF THE MOUNTAIN MARSHMALLOW, WHOSE PETALS DREAM AMONG THE GREEN GRASSES OF SOME NEW ENCOUNTERS AND OLD LOVES. NOWADAYS, THESE ROBUST GRASSES AND THE FLOWERS OF VARIOUS COLOURS, REDHEADED CORNFLOWERS OR CENTAUREA, ROSY KNAUTIA AND WONDERFUL GARDEN IN THE COLOUR OF MARSHMALLOW, BY THE FLICKER OF THEIR LEAVES AND PETALS ON A SUMMER BREEZE EVOKE THE STRENGTH OF MOUNTAIN WINDS IN THEIR TREES. EVEN TODAY, ALL THE WEIGHT OF THE SILENCE THAT HAS FALLEN LIKE A HEAVY FOG, AS IF IT WOULD NEVER LEAVE THIS MOUN- TAIN, PASSING BY THESE MEADOWS AND THE RIVER SUTJESKA FALLS SILENT WITH ITS STORY. ONLY A RARE SHIVER ON ITS SURFACE SHOWS THAT IT IS RIGHT HERE WHERE IT IS EXPECTING TO HEAR ONE YOUTH AND TO OFFER TO THE YOUTH THE REFUGE AS THE MOST TRUTHFUL FRIEND AND TO HIDE ITS SECRETS IN THESE CLEAN WHIRLPOOLS. AND THE APPLE CALLED BOSANKA, RED AND PLUMP, WISHES ITS FORMER DESTINY, WHICH IS THAT HUMAN ATTENTION, TRUE LOVE AND SINCERITY OF ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER, IS AGAIN PAID TO ITS GRAPES, OR THAT THESE RED APPLES ARE FOUND IN THE BOSOM OF GIRLS TO SECRETLY HEAR THE TREMBLING OF THEIR HEARTS. THE SILENCE OF TJENTIŠTE TODAY IS EQUALLY BROKEN BY SCYTHES, COINAGE AND THE MURMUR OF OVERRIPE GRASS, THAT TOGETHER WITH SONGS OF CRICKETS AND GRASSHOPPERS ANNOUNCE THE LOVE THAT WOULD COME. AND THE RIVER SUTJESKA KEEPS ROARING AND FLOWING.

SULEJMAN REDŽIĆ (JAJCE 1954. - 2013.), WAS AN ACADEMIC AND PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO, ECOLOGIST AND AN EXPERT FOR THE DINARIC MOUNTAINS, FAMOUS FOR BEING ONE OF THE LEADING INTELLECTUALS AND NATURALISTS IN B&H.

PARTS OF TEXTS TAKEN FROM THE SERIES NATURAL HERITAGE B&H, FEDERALNA TV, 2004.

13 CONTENTS

19 TURBID SUTJESKA 33 SUTJESKA - MORE THAN A NATIONAL PARK 37 HYDRO POWER PLANTS - VICIOUS SPIRALS OF DEGRADATION 43 THE DRAGONFLIES OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA 49 OPINION ON THE IMPACT OF THE HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE NP SUTJESKA” ON THE BIODIVERSITY AND ESPECIALLY ON LARGE CARNIVORES 53 BIRDS AND HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE NP SUTJESKA 57 CALL “PROJEKT” A.D. FOR A MURDER 65 THE IMPACT OF WORKS AND CONSTRUCTION OF SHPPS IN THE NP SUTJESKA ON THE HABITAT AND LIFE OF THE BALKAN 73 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL HYDRO POWER PLANTS AND THE LAND

14 77 THE FLORISTIC AND FAUNISTIC SPECIFICITIES OF DINARIDES 79 ON PRIMEVAL FOREST PERUĆICA (IN MEMORIAM) 81 NATURE PROTECTION - A DEAD LETTER ON PAPER 85 BATS IN THE NP SUTJESKA 89 BATTLE FOR SUTJESKA - BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL 97 SUTJESKA IS A CEMETERY, AND A CEMETERY IS A SANCTITY 103 NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA - A LABORATORY IN NATURE 111 AN ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE LAST OASIS OF PRISTINE NATURE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 115 THE FUNGI OF THE NATIONAL PART SUTJESKA 119 SUTJESKA - A GEM OF THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT 123 MACROZOOBENTHOS OF THE RIVERS SUTJESKA AND HRČAVKA

15 A VIEW OF MAGLIĆ AND VOLUJAK, AS SEEN FROM FROM UGLJESA’S TOP

16 17 Voislav Vasic, PhD

DOCTOR OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, ORNITHOLOGIST, EXPERT OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND AUTHOR OF THE FIRST BOOK ON BIODIVERSITY IN (1995). MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN MAN- AGING THE NATIONAL NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN BELGRADE.

18 TURBID SUTJESKA

I follow from afar an unusual and long-term dispute that occasionally raises dust and feathers, and which one party symbolically-ironically calls The Battle for Sutjeska. Yes, it is about defense from an attempt to invade the National Park Sutjeska. I do not know whether the other party has a corresponding operation code. It should be like a shout – short, clear, melodic and it ought to contain an indication of the operation bearers’ mission. My proposal was – “Mini Sutjeska”, not only because of an unreasonable plan of introducing the so-called mini-hydro power plants in a national park, but because of the stated commitment to the mission of minimizing the fundamental natural values of the National Park Sutjeska. Due to a reduced sense of national heritage and low level of consideration towards future generations, and owing to minimal wisdom on the part of the state and microscopically poor civil fairness, thanks to the reduced respect for the expert public and an lack of respect of all those that emphasize the right to a higher life quality. The way things are at the moment, we are dealing with a kind of people who are ready to sacrifice maximal good for minimum benefits. unless, of course, they are not their own. This was the title of the pamphlet when I started writing it – “Mini Sutjeska”, until I came to the middle part, which is when I no longer had anywhere to go, hence the title is as it stands. Some may perhaps object to me for intervening into the things that are not my concern and for meddling with the troubles on the other side of the river Drina. Well, every case of potential threat to nature, biodiversity and birds does concern me – wherever in the world it is taking place. And secondly, I have some personal business with those mountains, gorges and valleys. Ever since I was there as an eight-year old, with the mountains from the Jurassic period, somewhere around 1953 (the forests were still full of iron, still hot, from the real Battle on Sutjeska). Then I arrived to Tjentište in 1961 on a school field trip, following the “trace of the Fifth offensive”. I even had my caecum removed preventively, as part of the preparations for a youthful adventurous expedition to Perućica in 1963. And so on, in the same manner, all the way up to many brief official field trips in the course of professional research 1977 – 1985, I have been interested in this magnificent and tragic region. In 2011, while preparing the red data on the birds of Republic of Srpska, I read everything that had been written so far about the regions encompassed by the NP Sutjeska. That is why I was happy to accept the invitation of the Centre for the Environment from Banja Luka, to state myself in regard of the announcement of the construction of two handfuls of mini hydro power plants in the valleys of the most important rivers of the NP Sutjeska. But, let us start from the beginning. I called the idea of introducing the mini hydroelectric power plants into the national park in the first paragraph as an unreasonable plan. Here’s why.

19 been humorously said2, small hydro power plants should THE SHPPS always be considered guilty, until they are proven innocent. Even if we knew nothing else, these very facts are sufficient Some time ago, in the beginning, even huge hydro power by themselves to every reasonable and responsible decision systems were announced as cheap, clean, renewable and maker to throw away once and forever the idea of construc- sustainable. However, they then showed their pockmarked tion of SHPPs in the NP Sutjeska and never mention it again. appearance, disturbing literally everything, from the climate, But this is just the beginning. basins and quality of water, redistribution of sediments and A huge number of studies have long been pointing to the erosion of land, to the migration of people and the erosion significant negative impacts of SHPPs on the environment of the cultural and biological diversity. And when it was and biodiversity, especially to aquatic organisms3. This is established that they were not even cheap and that their confirmed by the example of the brown trout, one of the lifecycle is tragically short – a new concept was introduced best known fish in the NP Sutjeska4. Under the influence of – small hydro power plants (affectionately called SHPPs or the changes caused by the redirection of parts of the river Small Hydro). The same minds that had to acknowledge the course into the pipeline, the fish becomes much smaller previous mistakes in the ecological assessment started to than in unchanged courses, in only a year’s time5. And its promote a new one. The advocates of the SHPPs technol- shrinkage is only an indicator of dissipation of the whole ogy would convince us: yes, big HE on huge water courses invisible ecological pyramid. In the Romanian Carpathian have a large impact on the environment, but the small ones they got their fingers burnt heavily by introducing the SHPPs certainly have a small impact. Sounds logical? Buy MHE*! despite the Convention on the Preservation of Carpathians6. HE, hehehe. How can it be understood that the promoters of SHPPs in It is logical, but it is not correct. NP Sutjeska did not take something like that into account? SHPPs are placed on small water courses, which are Or was it the case that they did not want to hear the voice of much more sensitive, vulnerable and less vital than the experts? Or, perhaps, they have corrupted expert advisors? big, powerful rivers, so that their impact, though smaller, In the meantime, the “stupid” Americans took down around is proportionally much faster, stronger and destructive. fifty dams of their hydro power plants in no time, in order to Besides that, even though SHPPs are small (only relatively ensure a free flow of water that supports the endangered small in comparison to the big ones), they are larger in ecosystems7. number, are placed in series, so that their cumulative effect is lethal to the environment. It is even more unreasonable when all that is recalculated to the unit of produced power. SELF-SUSTENANCE AND SELF-HUMILIATION Given that this is a production on a small scale, the ecologi- cal damage by megawatt comes out much bigger than in the Even though the protection of natural values is a big systems1. This simultaneously rules out the apparent fundamental national goal8, the proclaimed new policy of advantage of SHPPs in terms of the quantity of construction the self-sustenance of national parks, conceives the NP for the production and transfer of energy. As it has once Sutjeska primarily as a tourist and scientific-research desti-

* MHE is an acronym in local language equivalent to SHPPs 1 PEARSON C. 2013: Small hydro projects in China have big impacts. EBN 9:3. 2 KIBLER K. M. & TULLOS D.D. 2013: Cumulative biophysical impact of small and large hydropower development in Nu River, China. Water Resour. Res. 49, doi:10.1002/wrcr.20243. 3 ABBASI T. & ABBASI S.A. 2011: Small hydropower’s negative impact on the environment. SciDev Wed, 22 June 2011 12:47. 4 KUBEČKA J, MATĚNA J, HARTVICH P. 1997 Adverse ecological effects of small hydropower stations in the Czech Republic. Regul. Rivers: Res. Mgmt. 13(2): 101–113. 5 ALMODÓVAR A. & NICOLA G.G. 1999: Effects of a small hydropower station upon Brown Trout Salmo trutta L. in the River Hoz Seca (Tagus Basin, Spain) one year after regulation. Regul. Rivers: Res. Mgmt. 15: 477—484. 6 AFP & EURACTIV.RS 2013: Mini hidoelektrane ugrožavaju ekosisteme na Karpatima. (English: Mini hydro power plants endanger the ecosystems on the Carpathians) http://www. euractiv.rs/odrzivi-razvoj/5849-mini-hidoelektrane-ugroavaju-ekosisteme-nakarpatima 7 Kerns C. 2014: American Rivers: 51 Dams removed in 2013. March 5, 2014. http://www.canoekayak.com/environment/51-dams-removed-2013/. 8 SKUPŠTINA REPUBLIKE SRPSKE 2012: Zakon o Nacionalnom parku „Sutjeska“. Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske: 01-1895/12 13. decembar 2012. (The Law on the National Park “Sutjeska”; the “Official Gazette of ”, no. 01-1895/12 from 13 December 2012

20 SUTJESKA CANYON FROM VRATAR

THE EXPLANATIONS COMING FROM THE GOVERNMENT, SAYING THAT THE GRANTING OF CONCESSIONS FOR SHPPS HAS AS ITS INTENTION THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE DERIVATIVE QUALIFICATION “PUBLIC INTEREST” ARBITRARILY DEROGATE ALL THE OPINIONS BY EXPERTS, ALL THE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS, AS WELL AS ALL THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA.

21 nation9, instead of the earlier business dealings in terms of international donors. a privileged forest-economic public enterprise with intensive All this together places the management of the NP exploitation, in which over 60% of the annual yield gets cut Sutjeska in an unenviable and self-humiliating position of down10. The idea is to ensure environment protection, which the total exposure to all sorts of genial ideas without back- is the fundamental programme goal of the protected region, ing, which, like the “bet that wins for sure” will secure to the to be kept at the minimum, that is, at the level of basal me- Park a happy Copernican twist in its fight for survival. Such tabolism, almost in a state of hibernation or clinical death, programmes include SHPPs of public interest, sequenced as all this by “granting”, and to leave it to the parks manage- rosaries next to the cold river Sutjeska. ments to “manage”, in such a manner, if possible, without it being seen. This is a desperate job, given the weak tourist capacities and an altogether modest rate of visits to the DISSERVICES AND OTHER ILL-TURNS park11. Not even other, famous, “non-wooden resources” – The month of January saw an opposition party stand up game, fish and forest fruits – are usable in an economically in defense of the NP Sutjeska from SHPPs, blaming the Gov- sustainable manner. ernment for this and that12. It may have gained some credits According to some opinions, neither is it possible to squeeze out a critical mass of local nature-loving tour- in its own game by doing that, but unfortunately it dislocated ists willing to put their money where their mouth is, nor is the solution to the problem from the expert-scientific arena the NP Sutjeska a sufficiently attractive destination for a in an all-together uncertain political ring. Now the ministers significant number of foreign adventurous tourists, nature in the Government, even if they see the justification of the lovers who by nature of things accept each inconvenience expert remarks of the Centre for the Environment from and do not ask for the price. Regional competition, though in Banja Luka and other environmentaly aware citizens, will its infancy itself, is too strong in order for the NP Sutjeska find it much harder to give up on the original idea on granting to be able to rely with all its weight on tourism, in its vision the concession for the SHPPs in NP Sutjeska, because it of survival. It is naïve to believe that for canyoning (what a would turn out that they did it in response to the pressure horrible word!!) it is enough to have canyons (and the word coming from the opposition. for canyon in Serbian language is sutjeska) and the cashier Explanations coming from the Government saying that to charge the entrance tickets. It is the so-called untouched by granting the concession for SHPPs in NP Sutjeska they nature generally so attractive as we would like it to be? And intend to contribute to the local development and that the what will such an assumed adventurous tourist think when qualification “public interest” stems from it, arbitrarily he comes across series of booming SHPPs at the bottom of derogate all the opinions of the experts, all the scientific inaccessible canyons, instead of Petko’s footprint? results and all the obligations and rights of the NP Sutjeska. Given that, as brothers Bulgarians say, a hungry bear And it is utterly rude even to mention the services to local won’t dance, NP Sutjeska has to wangle the money for communities that are allegedly provided by granting the con- its poor budget, to accept various unfavorable conditions cession for the installation of SHPPs in NP Sutjeska. Neither and pressures of powerful clients and to beg the local and is there a local (or national) lack of electricity, nor will the

9 SRNA 2013: Osmisliti dobre uslove za samoodrživost nacionalnih parkova. (English: Think out good conditions for the self-sustenance of the national parks) TURIZAM jun 22. 2013. 17:31 http://www.capital.ba/osmisliti-dobre-uslove-za-samoodrzivost-nacionalnih-parkova/ 10 VLADA REPUBLIKE SRPSKE 2008: Strategija zaštite prirode Republike Srpske. (English: Government of the Republic of Srpska, 2008: The Strategy of Nature Protection of the Republic of Srpska) http://www.vladars.net/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mgr/PAO/Documents/STRAT.OBJEDINJENO.pdf 11 ibidem. 12 FENA 2014: Ugrožen Nacionalni park Sutjeska. 23 januar 2014 16:20 (English: The National Park Sutjeska Endangered) http://www.virtualnahercegovina.com/index.php/vijesti/ balkan-press/4461-ugrozen-nacionalni-park-sutjeska 13 PROJEKT a.d. 2013: Studija o procjeni uticaja na životnu sredinu projekta MHE „Sutjeska 2a i 2b” (konačna studija). Banja luka. PROJEKT a.d. 2013: Studija o procjeni uticaja na životnu sredinu projekta MHE „Hrčavka 1(S-H-2), 2(S-H-1), 3(S-H-3) (konačna studija). Banja luka. (English: Environmental Impact Assessment of the Project SHPPs “Sutjeska 2a and 2b” (Final Study); The Study of Environmental Impact of the Project SHPPs “Hrčavka 1(S-H-2), 2 (S-H-1), 3 (S-H-3)” (Final Study).

22 power produced in SHPPs be used locally. And permanent employment will be seen by none of the local people, owing ETHICAL AND INTELLECTUAL MINIMUM to the simple reason that SHPPs work totally automatically, without any crew! No, I shall not do an expert review of those two, un- fortunately already mentioned EIAs, which justify setting into motion the SHPPs into the NP Sutjeska. I would need IDEAL: MINIMAL LIFE a hundred pages only to list those unforgivable mistakes, huge deficiencies and defects, huge oversights and failures, I had originally intended to avoid mentioning two horrible awful copies and fabrications, inexplicable paradoxes and Studies that gave an apparently false expert excuse for ambiguities, obscene ignorance, unbelievable sloppiness, il- the decisions on allowing the construction of SHPPs at the logical thoughts and stupidity. But at the same time I will not 13 heart of the NP Sutjeska . I wanted to remain silent on both remain silent, I cannot refrain from shouting that those two of them out of civil and professional shame. Indeed, if the “final studies” represent a shame for the profession in their makers of those studies are not ashamed, then those who dishonesty, that they disgrace the natural scientists, insult still have some personal and professional dignity have to do biologists and bring into question the credibility of other ex- that instead of them. Here, I am ashamed for having to write perts. We biologists will defend ourselves in vain, by saying about it. that “every rose has its thorn”, if we do not shout ourselves, However, something else is in question here, something and do not point our fingers at the thorn and say “Look, there maybe even worse: a terrible, dark-medieval, anti-ecolog- is the thorn, take it out!” ical, counter-environmental and counter-natural criterion, It really does take guts to enter such a problematic and that is, parameter that was applied in the Environmental sensitive issue, such as the erosion of ecosystems and Impact Assessment of SHPPs in NP Sutjeska. It is called biodiversities, in such a protected and forbidden space biological minimum. According to the doctrine of the Study as the national park is, with such a non-qualified “Work- developers, it is all right to underbind Sutjeska and Hrčavka, ing team on document development”! Out of seventeen two jugular veins of the whole NP Sutjeska, to put them in members of the team, one person has a bachelor of science the sewage pipes, to rearrange, seal and bypass them, to in ecological engineering, which may mean that he attended put them through the sieves, redirect and gap them, slow one semester of zoology and botanics, which is absolutely them down and speed them up, harness and let them out, insufficient to dive into the complexities of the NP Sutjeska’s spread and narrow them down, take away and then bring biodiversity, and let alone assess the impact of anything on them back, all is therefore acceptable if some leakage is left certain individual species of the living world. somewhere, if some puddles overflow the dry bed – only if Instead of engaging a team of at least seventeen special- the freak called biological minimum can be established in ists for different groups of animals, plants and fungi, from them. It is the minimum of life, it is not even real life, it is algae to individual families of floriferous plants, and from sheer non-death. And all this in the NP Sutjeska, a people’s protozoa, mollusks, arthropods and other invertebrates, park for which we boast of having miraculous natural trea- all the way up to fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and sure, gems in the Nature’s crown, treasures of wilderness, birds, the developer of the (final) study took one biologist to precious stones and gems of the living world, in the park do all that in the capacity of an “expert associate”, though where everything is to multiply, grow, thrive and blossom at it was nowhere said what the tasks of the expert associate its maximum, because that is the only sense of its existence. were. What does the brain have to be like in which the thought Of course it is impossible to even do a study of Mokro- luski brook with such capacities, and let alone a study of the of attracting maximal numbers of tourists by means of the two most important water courses in the national park. biological minimum is born? Can anyone answer this ques- I do not even want to think about the reasons why the tion to me? expert associate even undertook to do something that everybody knew could not be done by herself alone. As a

23 SUTJESKA CANYON

I WOULD NEED A HUNDRED PAGES ONLY TO LIST THOSE UNFORGIVABLE MISTAKES, HUGE DEFICIENCIES AND DEFECTS, HUGE OVERSIGHTS AND FAILURES, AWFUL COPIES AND FABRICATIONS, INEXPLICABLE PARADOXES AND AMBIGUITIES, OBSCENE IGNORANCE, UNBELIEVABLE SLOPPINESS, ILLOGICAL THOUGHTS AND STUPIDITY OF THE STUDIES.

24 matter of fact, the developer did not even try to develop the The description of the method was given only at the end, study, being aware of its own inability to perform the task. on page 146: “The EIA was done by means of direct insight He did develop that for which he had the capacities, i.e. he into the attached documentation, insights into the available fabricated false studies or study models. That is a product literary sources, as well as the insights into the official and that only looks like a study, if you do not open it. He had unofficial data on the region/location…” Therefore, by taking played on the “it won’t be read by anyone anyway” card, and an insight into the papers (directly, it can’t be through the that what matters is that the study is appended and ticked. glass, really), and not into the state of the very nature next to And the rest is history… Sutjeska’s cold water. The insight was made from the books This time everything and everyone were “read”: both or online, virtually and not in the field, real world and real studies, the developer, and the working team and the expert time. Actually, it is said already on page 8 that the “attached associate (whatever that was). And the ordering party as project-technical documentation as well as various literary well. sources in this area which were available were used” in the And, what then do they say to us about the evaluation procedure of developing the Study. And on page 44 it can be of the impact of SHPPs on the NP Sutjeska environment? seen that the flora and vegetation of the NP Sutjeska was The first thing they say is that they are final. They are not a researched by a huge number of researchers and that there proposal of a document, but the very end and there can be exists a significant body of literary data on it.” What can we nothing left. They can come in for no debate and finito, as my conclude? The developers of the study did not measure, as- grandfather used to say. Full stop! sess and establish the state of the biodiversity on the field, Is that so? in the canyon, river, mountain, forest, meadow, but they What is final there can not only be seen at the end, but used second-hand information, from literature and not even also at the beginning of both studies, which are identical in all, but only those bits that are available. What might be that part. In the very beginning, terms of reference are given, inaccessible and unavailable literature to licensed masters among which we are interested in this one: the identification in the 21st century I cannot even guess, all the more so given of the existing state of the environment and possible impacts that the study developer states on page 187 that he did not on it. I am thinking about what the attribute existing might mean when placed next to the state? Could anyone think have any difficulties in the sense of collecting the data… that they ought to do a study on the basis of an inexistent But I did look up the list of literature to see at least what state? It is probable that the ordering party asked for the was available and accessible for them. And guess what determination of the actual, current, present or null state, as then – in none of the two Final studies was there a list of the benchmark, referential sample with which the state after literature. In the parts on flora and fauna there is not a single the installation of SHPPs would be compared. This is the quote, note or reference to any of the sources! Zero quotes – only thing that makes sense. The developer therefore had zero use of resources (0=0). the task to immediately measure, assess, establish the state It was only in the Section Annexes (which are presum- of the environment, and among other things, the state and ably appendices, addenda) that I found on page 214 under composition of biodiversity, that is, flora and fauna, as the the title “Other resources” a short list of some older works developer’s jargon runs. That is a common mandatory task from the second half of the XX century, which can in no of every impact assesment. If, however, that was not the way be used for the construction of a referential state of task of the project, then the whole Study makes no sense at biodiversity. I wasn’t even able to find a single work on birds all. (that I am most interested in) from that time. And there used The developer of the finals approached the task in an to be such works, both from the older times14 and much original manner. more recent ones15. But presumably they were inaccessibly

14 RUCNER D. & OBRATIL S. 1973: Prilog poznavanju avifaune planinskog područja Maglića, Volujka i Zelengore. Zagreb: Larus 25: 61–94. OBRA TIL S. 1987: Naselja ptica (Av es) u životnim zajednicama na trajnim plohama nacionalnog parka “Sutjeska”. Sarajevo: Godišnjak Biološkog instituta 40: 73–87. (English: A contribution to the knowledge of avifauna of the mountain region of MAglic, Volujak and Zelengora); (Bird settlements in the living communities on permanent planes of the National Park Sutjeska)

25 unavailable to the working team and the expert associate? rectly written names of birds were not new to me. In fact, How then did the other, less popular animal groups fare, I I know a man who uses that word and such names. It did wonder? not take me a long time. I quickly found a study on a certain Mediterranean canyon from a neighboring Mediterranean STEEP TURBID WATERS country16. I was flabbergasted when I realized that the technique Browsing through the final studies I found some be- of copy/paste created Sutjeska and after it Hrčavka from wildering data on birds. At first I was even impressed. For Cijevna. According to the principle – all the canyons are example, it had been completely unknown to me that certain the same – see one and you’ve seen them all. Even theft of three Mediterranean species can be found in the canyon intellectual property and copying it takes some intelligence of Sutjeska, which is otherwise not famous for the break- and knowledge, and this lacked here. Thus the fauna of the through of the Mediterranean birds to the north. Mediterranean canyon of the Adriatic basin was transferred The study first reports that the “cliffs are important in by means of a naïve extrapolation into the continental the sense of nesting for the species Sitta neumayeri (sic! Sutjeska of the Black Sea system. I just took a look at the Western Rock Nuthatch) and Monticola solitarius (Blue Rock part about the birds, and to go further than that I had neither Thrush)“, and then says that the Mediterranean Northern will nor the stomach. So here are comparable parts of the Wheatear and Western Rock Nuthatch are “even found in the texts from the pages 13/14 of the original (left) and 50/51 of immediate vicinity of the space that would be used for the the plagiarism (right column): purpose of construction of SHPPs” (pages 50 and 51). For me, this was first-class zoogeographical scientific news, on condition that I knew the date, place, the circumstances and the source of this piece of information. At the same time, I was a bit skeptical, given that among the members of the working team and expert associates there wasn’t a single ornithologist, or even a zoologist of general practice for that matter. Alas, there is no note on the origin of that scientific discovery. I must not forget, those same sentences with the same species are also found in the Final for Hrčavka (which is called Sutjeska in that document), with the same mistake in the scientific name (page 59 and 59). I mean, really…. But that’s not the end, but rather the beginning of the drama, that is, grotesque. I was curious about those Medi- terranean birds next to the cold waters of Sutjeska and this hiding of the available-accessible resources, their burying into the appendices… And there was something there that sounded like déjà vu. Particularly one word – the adjective steep. This I had heard somewhere already. And some incor-

15 GAŠIĆ B. 2001: Rezultati novih istraživanja faune ptica Republike Srpske. Novi Sad: Ciconia 10: 108–127. (English: The results of more recent research into the bird fauna of the Republic of Srpska) SURINA, B. 2002: Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria, Ljubljana: Acrocephalus 23 (112): 107. GAŠIĆ B. 2004: Istraživanja ornitofaune u nacionalnom parku Sutjeska, 2001. godine. Banja Luka: Glasnik Udruženja muzejskih radnika Republike Srpske 2: 155–159. MARCOUSE T. & KOTROŠAN D. 2006: Izvještaj sa ornitoloških posmatranja u Bosni i Hercegovini u septembru 2006. godine. Sarajevo: Bilten Mreže posmatrača ptica u Bosni i Hercegovini 2 (2): 24–27. (Research into the ornithofauna in the National Park Sutjeska, 2001); (The Report from the ornithological observations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2006) 16 CZIP 2011: Studija zaštite kanjona Cijevne. Podgorica: Centar za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica Crne Gore. (English: The study of the protection of the Cijevna canyon)

26 ORIGINAL PLAGIARISM

The research into the canyon of Cijevna…indicates the The canyon is one of the significant habitats for the birds of presence of significant species that nest in the canyon, and prey and an important nesting spot for birds. These birds which are of special importance for the protection, both in have a special importance for the Republic of Srpska and Montenegro and in Europe. The habitats that are primarily Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even Europe. The golden eagle characteristic for the birds of prey prevail in the canyon. The (Aquila chrysaetos) nests in the canyon of Sutjeska, the nesting of the Golden Eagle is confirmed here. In the spring spring migrations see the Western marsh harrier (Circus ae- migrations, the western marsh harrier, Circus aeruginosus, ruginosus). The canyon is deep and rocky, which is a perfect was registered. The canyon is deep and rocky, which is a habitat for the hooded crow (Corvus cornix) and the common perfect habitat for the hooded crow (Corvus cornix) and swift (… Apus apus) that nest on steep cliffs. The cliffs are the common swift (…Apus apus) that nest on steep cliffs… significant for two species that nest on them: the Western The cliffs are significant for two species that nest on them: rock nuthatch, Sitta neumayer and Blue rock thrush, Monti- the Western rock nuthatch, Sitta neumayer and Blue rock cola solitarius... thrush, Monticola solitarius... The vegetation next to the very river bank represents a The lower part of the canyon next to the very water bank… habitat and nesting place for a huge number of singing birds, represents the habitat and nesting spot for a huge number of namely: goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis;… the common chaf- singing birds: goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis;… the common finch, Fringilla coelebs; Cirl bunting, Emberiza cirulus17; the chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs; Cirl bunting Emberiza cirulus17; black-eared wheatear, Oenanthe hispanica;… the Eurasian the black-eared wheatear, Oenanthe hispanica;… the Eur- blue tit, Parus coeruleus; the great tit, Parus major; …the asian blue tit, Parus coeruleus; the great tit, goldcrest, Regulus regulus; the Eurasian blackcap, Sylvia Parus major; …the goldcrest, Regulus regulus; the Eurasian atricapilla; …the common blackbird, Turdus merula; … blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla; …the common blackbird, Turdus the white-throated dipper, Cinclus Cinclus and other. Little merula; …the white-throated dipper, Cinclus cinclus. The Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius, was registered on the presence of Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius, was gravel coastal part. also registered on the gravel coastal part. Above the very canyon spreads a wide band….covered by Above the very canyon spreads a wide band….covered by poor vegetation where the rock partridge, Alectoris graeca, poor vegetation where the rock partridge, Alectoris graeca, finds the optimal conditions for its nesting. finds the optimal conditions for its nesting.

This then means that the study is based on false, which neither the developer nor the ordering parties care to unchecked and unverifiable data gathered from God knows be true. This is what we would call a scam, awful deception, what sources and unskillfully copied, without any traces of bluffing. Terrible! And it is on these documents that the deci- origin like in every other unprofessional business. Pages sions on allowing the introduction of SHPPs into NP Sutjeska and pages of the studies are fabrications, falsehoods, stolen are made. goods, apparent descriptions of the state of biodiversity for

17 Incorrectly written name. Instead of Emberiza cirulus there should be Emberiza cirlus. The mistake has been blindly copied from the original.

27 28 BALKAN CHAMOIS (RUPICAPRA RUPICAPRA BALCANICA)

WHAT DOES THE BRAIN HAVE TO BE LIKE IN WHICH THE THOUGHT OF ATTRACTING MAXIMUM NUMBERS OF TOURISTS BY MEANS OF THE BIOLOGICAL MINIMUM IS BORN? CAN ANYONE ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO ME?

29 of misfortunate and endangered otter, which lives only by THE LOGICS OF THE ATTIC CELLAR eating fish and crabs, and is especially protected within the programme Natura 200018. At some point the developers Led by some kind of childish shrewdness, the authors put even mention that the otter is critically endangered, but they all sorts of things into the Studies, both what lives and does constantly fail to connect it in their heads with the under- not live in the NP Sutjeska, hoping to make an impression bound Sutjeska. of expertise in their approach and make up for the lack of Further on, again, on page 145 the authors of the study quality by means of quantity. Is it like when a bad pupil does point out that one of the two SHPPs Sutjeska will erode the not know the answer to the teacher’s question, and then integrity of NP Sutjeska, given that it is found in the zone of starts to tell all kinds of stories, desperately believing that the First regime of protection, and thereby degrade it as a he should just continue to speak without pausing. At home candidate for Unesco’s list. he was told never to remain silent when questioned by the Yet still, on page 188, that is, in Conclusions, to their teacher. Cause then, by some kind of a miracle, it will seem, own quiz-question of whether the project is by its function as if he had indeed studied. Unfortunately, not even miracles and technical solutions safe in the sense of environmental can help ignorance. impact, the developer makes haste to reply that it is and that Having stacked loads of unconnected pieces of infor- the Project of construction of SHPP “Sutjeska 2a and 2b” will mation into the previous chapters, the developers found reduce the negative impacts in the sense of environmental themselves confronted with the task of having to assess on impact to a minimal level. But they do not state any reasons such bases the possible impacts of SHPPs on a complex and for such convictions, nor can they say how this reduction to extremely rich biological diversity in the NP Sutjeska, which a minimum will be achieved. Therefore, there will be nega- they do not know or understand. In the section entitled tive changes, but it doesn’t matter. Can you enter the attic “Changes in the levels of flora and fauna” (I imagine those from the cellar? two levels or a common one), the authors immediately state that they do not expect more significant changes in the floristic composition of this region, nor that there will be LET SUMMER RAINS WASH significant changes in the vegetation types, or that anything AWAY EVERYTHING will have a significant impact on the changes in the overall vegetation structure. Likewise, changes in the structure of It is obvious that this can go no further. Neither do we land animal communities are not expected either. The only know what we have at our disposal in NP Sutjeska, nor thing that is expected are changes on ichthyofauna, where do we have real, usable and objective impact studies. But, the habitat conditions will certainly sustain changes caused what we do have is an attempt to pass a document at the by the rearrangement for the needs of the construction of Assembly which would make a hole in the law that protects the water catchment. They do not say that to drive a dredger the NP Sutjeska and a threat that the same attempt will be into the mountain river bed is the same as to drop a bomb. repeated. All those wrong state decisions on NP Sutjeska, When it comes to those expected changes, they state that based on false documentation, should be flushed down the they can be manifested through the loss or reduced number cold waters of Sutjeska…It is better to give up now and not of individual fish species, which require a free water flow to defy, than do it later when everything is more compli- for the migration at the time of multiplication. Of course, the cated. developers of the Finals have no clue about the interconnec- But that is not enough. It is not enough just to give up and tions of water and land ecosystems; it hasn’t even crossed clean up your mess and everything should be fine. The initial their mind that those changes will deteriorate the status mistakes that not only enable but also encourage the emer-

18 KOTROŠAN D. 2011: Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758) u Natura 2000 u Bosni i Hercegovini. (English: Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758) in Nature 2000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo: U.G. Centar za okolišno održivi razvoj.

30 gence of such problems of public importance and impact have to be corrected, or even better, forever removed. To start with, it means that the decision to issue the License for pursuing the activity in the area of environmental protection to the Joint-Stock company Projekt from Banja Luka has to be revised, but also the latter’s responsibility should be de- termined for the development of false EIAs. The Rulebook on conducting the activity in the area of environmental protec- tion should be changed urgently, by introducing a mandatory engagement of experts for the biological diversity, at least when the activity is conducted in the protected regions. Those are the requirements that can guarantee the de- velopment of real, credible and competent EIAs we shall not be ashamed of, but what is of an even greater significance for the community and the state – which will represent the first and real expert-institutional protection of natural values of the Republic of Srpska from dubious bearers of develop- ment.

31 Deni Porej Programme director WWF MedPO

STUDIED IN BELGRADE, DID A PHD AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ON THE TOPIC OF SWAMP RESTORATION. WORKED ON CROCODILES AND SNAKES, IN SRI LANKA, COLUMBIA, PACIFIC ISLANDS, BELIZEE, AS WELL AS IN AMERICA WHERE HE WORKED ON NATURE CONSERVAN- CY. CURRENTLY RUNS PROGRAMMES IN WWF MEDPO IN BELGRADE.

32 SUTJESKA - MORE THAN A NATIONAL PARK

Following the plan of the construction of SHPPs in the region of NP Sutjeska, we felt the need to voice our concerns about the plans for such infrastructural projects within protected areas. It is important to note that Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the initiative Big Win in 2009, within the international project entitled Protected Areas for Liv- ing Planet – Dinaric Arc Ecoregion Project, 2007–2011, and signed the joint statement by six ministers in the region, which, among other things, acknowl- edges and supports sustainable use of water resources and the protection of ecosystems dependent on underground waters. As part of the same initiative,

33 Bosnia and Herzegovina, like other countries, pointed out of concern to the minister Srebrenka Golic, the head of its obligations agreed between the Federation of Bosnia Ministry for Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology, and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska, two of which and hence come the appeals to stop this plan. pertain to the National Park Sutjeska – point 3: expansion of NP Sutjeska is more than a national park. It is one of the the park boundaries and the development of a business plan, oldest protected regions in the Dinaric Mountains and con- as well as point 10: about the trans-boundary cooperation tains the last remains of former primeval forests (Perućica). between the NP Sutjeska and NP in Montenegro It is a shelter for more than 330 endemic, relict and endan- (which was also confirmed by the Republic of Montenegro gered plant species, and the only habitat in the whole world in its Big Win obligations). This trans-boundary cooperation for Edraianthus sutjeskae, Daphne malyana, Cardamine was established and confirmed in 2011 by signing of the maglicensis and Hieracium naegelianum ssp. maglicense. Memorandum of Understanding between Bosnia and Herze- NP Sutjeska is a potential IBA (Important Bird Area), govina and Montenegro. and the species that are important for this area include the Likewise, NP Sutjeska actively participates in the inter- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the corncrake (Crex crex), national project Dinaric Arc Parks that is currently conducted the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) and others. by WWF. Our main goal is to make a network of all the parks It is also home to the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra on the territory of the Western . The first aim of this rupicapra balcanica), whose population might be afflicted project is the creation of a platform of the protected areas by any kind of disturbance; all the while important are the through the connectedness of all the parks in the region of populations of invertebrates, bats and all species of the Dinaric Arc, which helps the managers of individual parks cave fauna. The region of NP Sutjeska represents one of the to get to know their colleagues in the region, exchange most valuable areas in terms of landscape, both of Bosnia examples of good practice and plan cooperation. The Project and Herzegovina and considerably wider territory, and the leads to the path of understanding of the fact that the pre- canyons of the rivers Hrčavka and Sutjeska are its most served nature is their greatest advantage and a guarantee of vivid part – full of waterfalls, cascades, cataracts, straits, their sustainability; hence the same are included under the canyons and ravines, rare, representative and preserved brand Parks Dinarides, which has already been recognized forest types and the like. by tourist organizations in all the countries of the region. Due to everything stated above, and particularly because Together with preserved nature, this is what increases the of the results achieved in nature conservation and sustain- opportunities for a sustainable development within the pro- able development in Republic of Srpska and the whole tected regions. The brand is promoted both in the region and Dinaric region, we invite you to make efforts to preserve in the EU. Out of this stemmed the initiative of the managers the fundamental values of the NP Sutjeska, in order for it to and directors of the parks of Dinaric Arc to send the letters remain a unique and invaluable part of the Dinarides.

34 “” WATERFALL IN THE PRIMEVAL FOREST PERUĆICA

THE REGION OF NP SUTJESKA REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE AREAS IN TERMS OF LANDSCAPE, BOTH OF B&H AND CONSIDERABLY WIDER TERRITORY, AND THE CANYONS OF THE RIVERS HRČAVKA AND SUTJESKA ARE ITS MOST VIVID PART - FULL OF WATERFALLS, CASCADES, CATARACTS, STRAITS, CANYONS AND RAVINES, THAT IS, RARE, REPRESENTATIVE AND PRESERVED FOREST TYPES AND THE LIKE.

35 Branislav Gasic PI Museum of Republic of Srpska

BORN IN MRKONJIĆ GRAD, GRADUATED FROM THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE IN BELGRADE, BIOLOGY MAJOR. HIS AREA OF EXPERTISE IS ORNITHOLOGY. WORKS AS THE CURATOR FOR THE ZOOLOGY OF VERTEBRATES, IN THE MUSEUM OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA, AT THE POST OF THE “MUSEUM ADVISOR”.

36 HYDRO POWER PLANT - VICIOUS SPIRALS OF DETERIORATION

Before we even start to clarify the reasons why the small hydropower plants should not be built in the region of the National Park Sutjeska, we ask a simple question: Can such an example be found anywhere in the world, that there exists, on the territory of a national park, that is, natural resource of the highest category, some kind of an industrial plant? Something of the kind is not known to the author of this text, and it does not seem compatible with common sense. Imagine oil fields on the territory of Yellowstone or Serengeti, or a factory of aluminum below the Yosemite waterfalls. Who could have ever thought of that? We have to stress that experience and serious scientific studies have shown that any kind of small hydro power plants represent economic plants that are probably the most destructive to the environment, proportional to their size, wherever they are built. What is worse, they are not even economically cost- effective, because the kilowatt-hour of electrical energy produced by them is twice more expensive than in the medium and big hydro power plants. The fact that some countries that take serious care of their environment, such as Switzerland and Slovenia, have legally prohibited the construction of small hydropower plants perhaps speaks volumes about their harmfulness and senselessness. It should be borne in mind thereby that it was precisely Swit- zerland that was one of the first countries that tried to make massive use of the potential of small watercourses it abounds in, for economic purposes! Whereas others have long come to senses, we will never learn from the example of other countries. Sadly!

37 DRAGOŠ SEDLO VIEWPOINT

THE GREATEST PART OF THE POPULATION OF ROE DEER IN OUR REGIONS SUC- CESSFULLY SURVIVES LOW TEMPERATURES AND LACK OF FOOD DURING THE WINTER. THAT IS THE “BIOLOGICAL MINIMUM” FOR THEM. HOWEVER, CAN ANYONE WITH COMMON SENSE CLAIM THAT THE SAME POPULATION OF ROE DEER COULD NORMALLY SURVIVE AND MULTIPLY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WINTERS WERE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY? THAT ACTUALLY REPRESENTS THE AVERAGE “BIOLOGICAL MINIMUM” FOR FISH.

38 39 BIOLOGICAL HARM

Speaking in particular of the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka bed at the average water flow, acknowledging the other in the region of the NP Sutjeska (and this more or less ecological factors characteristic of the given watercourse, holds for all the other regions too), the negative impacts of since every inhabitable watercourse is home to as many the projected small hydro power plants will have the most members of a certain biological species as can survive in immediate, fastest and the most harmful repercussions the given conditions. This holds both for a small mountain on the living world across the whole watercourse and its brook and for a river the size of Amazon. Thus defined surroundings. The potential negative impacts are reflected in biological minimum should be called the natural biological the following: minimum for the survival of a certain population, whereas • Daily and seasonal migratory paths of fish populations the “biological minimum”, identified with the minimal natural (especially trout), which are necessary for the survival watercourse, should be called the biological minimum for and normal number of the population and the normal aver- a short-term survival. In order to make it easier to under- age size of individuals in those populations, are interrupted. stand what actually represents the “in the lump” “biological • With hydro power plants of the pipe type it is not pos- minimum” for fish (that which I previously defined as the sible to preserve the ecological-biological minimum for the biological minimum for survival), I will make use of a more survival of numerous populations. Indeed, due to the water obvious example. Everyone knows that the greatest part of catchment the water flow in the watercourses’ beds would roedeer population in our regions successfully survives low be drastically reduced, that is, would be reduced to the temperatures and the lack of food during the winter. That so-called biological minimum, with consequential drastic is the “biological minimum” for them. However, can anyone reduction of fish populations. We will try to explain what claim in common sense that the same population of roe deer the real problem is. What is usually taken as the “biologi- could normally survive and multiply if the winter were all of cal minimum” is the least flow of a watercourse, measured a sudden extended indefinitely? during many years of observation. It is more often the case • The disappearance or a drastic reduction in autochtho- that authors do not even make an effort to obtain such data, nous populations of vertebrates and large invertebrates in but take it to be approximately 10% of the mean annual the watercourses leads to the reduction of the concentration flow. However, such “in the lump” taking of 10% of the mean of inorganic and organic fertilizer in waters, via the reduc- annual flow measured can even be accepted when it comes tion in the amount of their excretion. This has as its direct to the watercourses with huge average natural annual flow, consequence the deterioration of the populations of the plant but not for the smaller ones too. We should thereby bear in plankton, and thereby the reduction in the available amount mind that the minimum flow of a concrete watercourse, no of food and oxygen in water. This, in turn, leads to the matter how big it is, is actually the minimal amount of water deterioration of the populations of single-cell and multi-cell in which a given population can survive for a certain shorter invertebrates, which, again, causes all the greater starva- period of time, without losses that are dangerous in terms tion and degradation of autochthonous fish populations. of its survival, which does not mean that in such a situation This is how you create the vicious spiral of all the greater the individuals normally multiply, grow and develop. That degradation, which has as its outcome a complete or almost is why even when such small hydro power plants respect complete quantitative and qualitative deterioration of the liv- the prescribed biological minimum (which is usually not the ing world in the watercourse, and especially of trout species case), that does not mean at all that the survival of such fish that are naturally dominant in Sutjeska and Hrčavka. populations will be secured, let alone that the number and • Because of the previously stated reasons, as well as average size of the individuals will be preserved in natural due to the passage through the turbines of small hydro proportions. Biologically speaking, the real biological mini- power plants, the general water quality in the river would mum for the populations of every watercourse is the amount deteriorate for a category or two. of water by the measure of length of that watercourse’s • It must not be forgotten that the plan is to build small

40 hydro power plants in the gorges through which Sutjeska forms of protection almost pointless. This may not sound and Hrčavka flow, and precisely the gorges where the as important to someone else, but let us not forget that ac- populations of rare, relict and endemic plant species have cording to the current Law on Nature Protection (the “Official developed or been conserved. If we destroy that, then a Gazette of Republika Srpska”, no. 113/08), one of the princi- common sense question arises: What kind of a national park pal values and the purpose of existence of national parks is is it then, when it does not protect anything, and what do we the following: “Long-term securement and conservation of need it for in the first place? the natural values and the environmental quality to present and future generations”, or, as it is stated in the proposal of the new Law on Nature Protection: “The protection of the FOREST DAMAGE ecological integrity of one or more ecological systems for present and future generations”. How, then, do the hydro- When we speak of the impact of small hydropower plants electric power plants, necessary ducts and the deterioration on the environment, we, as a rule, take into consideration of the populations of water species fit into that?!! only the immediate impact in terms of the reduction in the water flow, access roads and plants. Accidentally or purposefully, the impact of the necessary electrical ducts is completely ignored. However, the damage arising from these ducts often exceeds all the other damage together. Hence an extremely important question is the one of the routes of the future power lines with which the small hydro- power plants would be connected with the main ducts of the power system of the Republic of Srpska. In this concrete case, Sutjeska and Hrčavka pass through forest and primeval forest regions. This means that hectares and hectares of the highest quality woods would have to be cut down for the needs of the power line necessary to transmit that little amount of electrical energy produced, and that area would then remain permanently deprived of the forest cover, with all the possible negative accompany- ing phenomena (noise, radiation, erosion, wind breakage, disturbance of the daily migrations of forest animals and birds, and the like). DISTURBANCE OF AUTHENTICITY, AESTHETICS AND AMBIENTAL VALUES

A less measurable, yet a more perceptible impact, will be reflected on the aesthetical values of the National Park. It has to be borne in mind that the duct and hydro power plants erode to a large extent and permanently the authenticity and ambient value of the natural good. It is not overestimating to say that by their mere presence they make all the other

41 Dejan Kulijer a biology graduate

EMPLOYED AS THE CURATOR ENTOMOLOGIST AT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (2008 - PRESENT). HIS AREA OF EXPERTISE AND WORK INCLUDE THE RESEARCH INTO THE DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY AND HABITATS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INSECTS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, ABOVE ALL ODONATA, AS WELL AS THE PROTECTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES AND HABITATS.

42 DRAGONFLIES OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA

Owing to a pronounced diversity and conservation of the ecosystem, the Na- tional park Sutjeska represents an area of particular importance for the protec- tion of biodiversity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with the primeval forest Perućica, the canyons of the rivers represent the heart of this national park and its most valuable and most sensitive ecosystem, and are characterized by a high degree of diversity of species and habitats, as well as a significant number of relict and endemic plant and animal species. Apart from this high degree of diversity, the great biological value of fresh- waters is also testified by a large number of endangered, rare and endemic species of insects that inhabit numerous springs, brooks and the river Sutjeska. Even though these groups of animals often do not even attract the public atten- tion and get ignored, a large number of endangered, endemic and rare species that inhabit the region of this park represent one part of its huge wealth. Given that a significant number of these species inhabit springs, brooks and rivers, it is necessary to bear in mind the potential negative impact when planning any kinds of intervention. The insects from the order Odonata (dragonflies) take a special place among these groups. THE IMPORTANCE AND VULNERABILITY OF DRAGONFLIES

As predators on the top of the food chain, dragonflies belong to the key species of the living communities of freshwater ecosystems. They are sensitive to changes both in the water and land ecosystems (as larvae they live in water, whereas the adult insects are extremely mobile predators that live in various types of land habitats). Given that they spend the first phase of the life cycle in a water environment, they are sensitive to water pollution, drying up and deg- radation of water habitats and the destruction of vegetation. On the other hand, the adult insects in the phase of maturation, hunting and mating need various land habitats and vegetation; hence they are dependent on riverbeds, meadows and forests.

43 ONYCHOGOMPHUS FORCIPATUS

EVEN DESPITE BEING INSUFFICIENTLY RESEARCHED, FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA CAN BE SAID ON THE BASIS OF THE EXISTING DATA TO REPRESENT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR DRAGONFLIES AND THEIR PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MOUNTAIN HABITATS ON THE REGION OF DINARIDES.

44 45 Dragonflies inhabit almost all types of freshwater cant area for dragonflies and their protection in Republic of ecosystems. Due to the disappearance of natural habitats Srpska and one of the most important mountain habitats on or their pollution, they are globally considered an extremely the territory of the Dinarides. vulnerable and endangered group of insects. A significant number of species of dragonflies are endangered today, and What follows is an overview of the negative impact of the many rare species are at the verge of extinction owing to the small hydro power plants on the ecosystems of rivers and degradation and destruction of their natural habitats. The brooks, which are important habitats for the dragonflies: species tied to streams are particularly endangered. The reason is that these habitats, like the species that • Changes in the natural regime of the water flow varia- inhabit them, are a lot more sensitive to changes in the tion lead to significant ecological changes in the habitats, ecological conditions, but are also exposed to all the greater especially in the structure of macro-invertebrate communi- impact of man. ties. The species tied to the streams are exposed to greater The species that inhabit the primary habitats, such as danger than the ones that inhabit still waters. The reason for the mountain rivers and brooks, have a narrow ecological this is that these species have been evolutionarily adapted to valence and can hardly be adapted even to small changes in specific conditions of these habitats, above all, to the specific the environment, hence are particularly endangered by the water flow regime, and hence are much more sensitive to destruction and degradation of the habitats. changes in the ecological conditions of the habitats. • Negative changes in the habitats as the consequence The most important characteristics of the fauna of the of the construction of small hydro power plants include, dragonflies of the NP Sutjeska are the following: above all, changes of the level and natural fluctuations of the water flow, as one of the fundamental ecological factors • Even though the majority of the habitats have been but and one of the key determinants of the composition of the partly researched, 50% of the species known in Bosnia and living communities of the freshwater habitats. The living Herzegovina have been registered so far. The NP Sutjeska is communities of the bottom of the rivers and brooks are evo- the only known habitat for the species Coenagrion hastula- lutionarily adapted to specific conditions of these habitats, tum and Somatochlora metallica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and hence are considerably more sensitive to the changes of and one of the few that there are in the Dinarides. ecological conditions of the habitats, above all, the changes • According to the data collected so far, the rivers of the of the specific water flow regime, changes of the structure National Park Sutjeska are inhabited by three species that of the bottom due to changes in sedimentation, quantity and are found on the Red list of the Protected Species of the quality of the organic matter, changes of the concentration of Republic of Srpska: Calopteryx virgo, Platycnemis pennipes oxygen dissolved in water and changes in the temperature. and Onychogomphus forcipatus. • Changes that occur as the result of the erosion of • Besides that, when it comes to the species that inhabit the natural water regime have been proven to lead to the these habitats, it is important to mention the species Cor- reduction in the number of populations of the predator insect dulegaster bidentata, which has the status of being nearly species, such as dragonflies. Given that the predators have threatened (NT) in Europe and whose numbers are declining. a significant impact on the number of populations of the The species of the genus Cordulegaster, which in Bosnia and organisms they feed on, these changes have as its con- Herzegovina inhabit the hilly and mountain brooks, have a sequence the erosion of the natural equilibrium within the narrow ecological valence and can hardly adapt to changes living communities of these ecosystems. in the environment, which is why they are particularly en- • The consequences of eroding the natural water flow re- dangered by the destruction of forest habitats, as well as by gime in brooks and rivers are reflected in the degradation of the drying up and rearrangement of rivers and brooks. habitats, which can sometimes be expressed even far down • Despite the fact that the region has been insufficiently water from the very water catchment of the hydro central. researched, it can be said on the basis of the existing data The effects on the habitats down water from the catchment that the National Park Sutjeska represents the most signifi- depend on the intensity of the changes in the hydrological

46 conditions in the upper courses of the flow. long-term cause the degradation of significant areas of the • Changes in the speed of flow and the construction of surrounding land habitats, as well as the backfilling of the small dam accumulations lead to the disappearance of the water course by a huge amount of sediments, which makes species that have a narrow ecological valence, and this them unfavorable for the survival of a large number of water group particularly includes endemic species. On the other organisms. hand, these changes lead to the spreading of “exotic” spe- cies, more precisely, species that are not specific for these habitats. The changes can be particularly important in the CONCLUSION most preserved and relict ecosystems, such as those in the canyons of the rivers in the NP Sutjeska, which are, in fact, • Given the number of species and the presence of a characterized by the highest number of endemic species. larger number of rare, endangered and protected species, Hydrological interventions and the construction of small the freshwater ecosystems of the National Park Sutjeska accumulations and dams can lead to the disappearance of represent one of the primary areas for the protection of the more than half of the species of certain groups of insects, dragonflies in Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herze- such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera or Trichoptera, includ- govina. ing the complete disappearance of endemic and endangered • The changes of the natural level and variation of the species. brooks as a consequence of the construction of small hydro • Changes in the level and variation of brooks due to re- centrals can to a large extent transform and reduce the arrangement of the rivers disturb the natural transport of the wealth of the living communities of the rivers. sediment, making the habitats unfavorable for the survival • Insects from the ranks of Odonata, Ephemeroptera, of the species whose larvae depend on the structure and Plecoptera and Trichoptera are very sensitive to the changes quantity of the sediment. in the watercourses that occur as the result of the construc- • The reduction of the flow, as well as the formation tion and work of the hydro centrals, and it is precisely these of smaller accumulations, lead to increase in the water groups that are characterized by the presence of a large temperature. Besides that, the water temperature also number of endemic and endangered species in the National grows due to the removal of vegetation that covers the wa- Park Sutjeska. tercourse, which makes it exposed to the sun, and thereby • With an end to securing the survival of the communi- increases the development of algae and microbes, and ties and the populations of endangered dragonfly species, hence continues the degradation of the habitats. The effects it is necessary to secure the protection of the whole region of the increased temperature are often visible considerably in order to achieve the protection of the habitats which are further down river from the hydro central too. necessary for the whole life cycle of the species (freshwater • Apart from the fact that the work of hydro centrals habitats, necessary dragonfly larvae and the surrounding has an impact on the environment, the preparatory works land habitats, which are necessary for adult insects). In or- and the very construction also have a significant negative der to ensure the survival of species, the implementation of impact on the water and surrounding land habitats. Given the the measures should be secured with the aim of preventing specificities of this intervention as well as the sensitivity of the destruction of the structure of habitats, vegetation and the ecosystem of this region, any kind of construction works changes in the natural level of water circulation. can significantly erode the structure of these ecosystems. • The presence of the protected species of the order Even though it is generally considered that construction Odonata in the water courses of the NP Sutjeska and the works represent a timely limited impact, in the course of sensitivity of these habitat types require detailed analyses of the construction of infrastructure (facilities, roads, instal- the impact of any kind of interventions to these habitats and lations) they will lead to a significant erosion not only of the populations of these ecologically significant, endangered water structures but also of many land habitat types in these and protected species that inhabit them. sensitive canyon ecosystems. The removal of the vegetation and construction works lead to soil erosion and can in the

47 Prof. Duro Huber Institute of Biology Veterinary Faculty, zagreb

BORN IN ZAGREB, WHERE HE FINISHED THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL, VETERINARY FACULTY, POSTGRADUATE STUDIES IN THE FIELD OF “BIOLOGY”, THE AREA OF “ECOLOGY”, AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE, AND DEFENDED THE DOCTORAL THESIS AT THE VETERINARY FACULTY. PARTICIPATES IN THE TEACHING PROCESS OF THE BIOLOGY TEACHING STAFF AT THE FACULTY OF VETERINARY, TEACHES TWO ELECTIVE SUBJECTS, ONE POSTGRADUATE COURSE AND ONE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KARLOVAC. HE HAS BEEN RUNNING THE RESEARCH OF THE POPULATION OF BEARS, WOLVES AND LYNX IN SINCE 1981.

48 OPINION ON THE IMPACT OF THE HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE NP SUTJESKA ON BIODIVERSITY AND ESPECIALLY ON LARGE CARNIVORES

I hereby give my opinion with respect to the renewed intentions to use the hydro potential of the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka within the boundaries of the National park for obtaining electrical energy.

IMPORTANCE: The National park Sutjeska with its 175 km2 of mature forest contents (including the invaluable primeval forest contents), in the hilly area with constant watercourses, represents an important habitat for numerous spe- cies of plants and animals. Equally important is the fact that the surrounding areas are also quality habitats, including the connection with the natural regions in Montenegro. For animals, which, as individuals, and especially as populations, need vast regions, this region is an important corridor along the Dinarides, and namely all the way up to Slovenia and Pindos mountains in Greece.

49 STATUS OF PROTECTION: The category of the national mobility of that part of the corridor, which is expected to be park is simply incompatible with the intervention implying protected and of permanently supreme quality. the construction of a dam on the river and the installation of hydro power plants. In order for this intervention to be LYNX: NP Sutjeska is at least a potential habitat for the conducted, the National park Sutjeska would firstly need to Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). The lack of constant monitor- be annihilated. We hope this will not happen. ing is one of the reasons why the existence of lynx has not been confirmed in this area. In any case, the zone of the NP BEAR: NP Sutjeska is the habitat of the brown bear Sutjeska is found between the Dinaric population of lynx (Ursus arctos). There lives part of the Dinaric-Pindos popula- that lives in Slovenia, Croatia and the western part of Bosnia tion, which is shared by nine countries. It is essential that and Herzegovina, as well as the population of critically there should exist and remain the corridor for a constant endangered Balkan lynx in Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. flow of individuals and their genes. It is precisely in the The region of Montenegro is also critical for the mobility of region of Montenegro and Albania that this corridor is cur- the lynx genes, which is why it is necessary to preserve the rently the “thinnest”. The preservation of the high quality of supreme quality of the habitat in the east part of Bosnia and the habitat in the Eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well Herzegovina. The construction of the hydro power plants as on the west of Greece enables at least a minimal number will also change the habitat for the lynx, and therefore, with of individuals to enter the corridor and for at least some the accompanying disturbance, it will significantly reduce individuals to succeed in transferring its genes on the other the chances for the return of the lynx into this region, which side. (The population biology requires at least one suc- is expected to be protected and of permanently supreme cessful migrant by generation.) If the fragmentation of the quality. population were to occur, then its viability would signifi- cantly weaken. That is how almost the whole of Western ALL THREE LARGE CARNIVORES TOGETHER: Large Europe lost all bears. The construction of the hydro power carnivores are especially treated in numerous international plants will significantly change the habitat for the bear too, agreements and conventions, and regularly have a high and therefore, with the accompanying disturbance, it will degree of the international protection (Bern Convention, significantly reduce the mobility of that part of the corridor, CITES, Habitats Directive). According to those conventions, which is expected to be protected and of a permanently high what is expected is the management and protection at the quality. level of the populations. The connectedness of the habitats and their protection are the key elements of the protec- WOLF: NP Sutjeska is also the habitat of the gray wolf tion. The construction of infrastructural facilities outside the (Canis lupus). There lives a part of the Dinaric-Balkan popu- protected zones should satisfy the requirements of those lations, which is shared by 10 countries, since it stretches documents, and should by no means be allowed within any even to the Stara planina Mountain in Bulgaria. national park. It is essential that there should exist and continue to exist the corridor for a constant flow of individuals and GENERAL BIODIVERSITY: The species from the top of their genes. The preservation of the top quality habitats on food pyramid, like large carnivores, belong among the most the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina enables at least one demanding ones for the protection. Given that they have the individual by generation to transfer its genes through the role of the “umbrella”, it can be said that by satisfying their corridor. If the fragmentation of the population were to oc- needs we will also protect numerous uncounted, less well cur, its viability would be significantly weaken. That is how known and less attractive but ecologically equally important almost the whole of Europe was left without any wolves. species. That is why we must not endanger the system. Par- The construction of the hydro power plants will significantly ticularly not in those areas that have already been awarded change the habitat for the wolf too, and therefore, with the some category of legal protection. accompanying disturbance, it will significantly reduce the

50 WOLF (CANIS LUPUS)

THE SPECIES FROM THE TOP OF FOOD PYRAMID, LIKE LARGE CARNIVORES, BELONG AMONG THE MOST DEMANDING ONES FOR THE PROTECTION. GIVEN THAT THEY HAVE THE ROLE OF THE “UMBRELLA”, IT CAN BE SAID THAT BY SATISFYING THEIR NEEDS WE WILL ALSO PROTECT NUMEROUS UNCOUNTED, LESS-WELL KNOWN AND LESS ATTRACTIVE BUT ECOLOGICALLY EQUALLY IMPORTANT SPECIES.

51 M. Sc. Dražen Kotrošan Curator ornithologist at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

BORN IN SARAJEVO, WHERE HE FINISHED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, AS WELL AS THE STUDIES OF BIOLOGY AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO. EMPLOYED SINCE 1998 AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - AS A BIOLOGIST FOR VERTEBRATES - ORNITHOLOGIST. AS PART OF THE SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH WORK AT THE MUSEUM, ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY “NAŠE PTICE” (OUR BIRDS) AND AS AN ASSOCIATE OF OTHER INSTITUTIONS, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS, FACULTIES AND CONSULTANCY COMPANIES, HE HAS PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE AREA OF ECOLOGY,ORNITHOLOGY AND THE LIKE. HE IS ALSO ONE OF THE FOUNDER AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE FIRST ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - THE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY “NAŠE PTICE” (“OUR BIRDS”).

52 BIRDS AND HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN NP SUTJESKA

The construction of SHPPs would have drastic consequences on the ecosys- tems of the canyons of Hrčavka and Sutjeska, but also to the whole region of the National park Sutjeska. The planned interventions would lead to the violation of a series of interna- tional directives and regulations that govern the protection of birds and their habitats, given that the region of the National park Sutjeska represents one of the potential international habitats of importance to birds (Important Birds Areas – IBA areas) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thereby meets the requirement for being entered into the list of NATURA 2000 habitats. When it comes to birds, the stated interventions would directly or indirectly lead to the reduction in the number of the species that are tied to the very canyons, but also the surrounding area. Above all, certain species would per- manently lose the place for nesting, and would abandon the given area due to disturbance. On the other hand, the food chain would be eroded due to effects of the flora and fauna that represent an important food source to certain bird spe- cies. Finally, microclimate conditions would be disturbed, which in turn would have consequences of a wider area of the National park and its total biodiver- sity, including the birds. The region of the National park Sutjeska is one of the potential future IBA area (Important Bird Area), and among the species that are significant for this area are the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Corn Crake (Crex crex), the Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) and others. The canyons, as particularly im- portant and significant points for nesting of certain individual bird species, must not be under any kind of negative impact, which the SHPPs would in this case certainly have on those specific ecosystems. The most important bird species in NP Sutjeska, which nest precisely in the canyons, are the following: The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the While Throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus), the Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), the Short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus), the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug), the Com- mon Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), the Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus), Common raven (Corvus corax), the Rock partridge (Alectoris graeca), the Stock dove (Columba oenas), the Common rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis), the Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), the Common king- fisher (Alcedo atthis) and many other species, which are critically endangered.

53 WHITE-THROATED DIPPER (CINCLUS CINCLUS)

THE PLANNED INTERVENTIONS WOULD LEAD TO THE VIOLATION OF A SERIES OF INTERNATIONAL DIRECTIVES AND REGULATIONS THAT GOVERN THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS AND THEIR HABITATS, GIVEN THAT THE REGION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA REPRESENTS ONE OF THE POTENTIAL INTERNATIONAL HABITATS OF IMPORTANCE TO BIRDS (IMPORTANT BIRDS AREAS - IBA AREAS) IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, AND THEREBY MEETS THE REQUIREMENT FOR BEING ENTERED INTO THE LIST OF NATURA 2000 HABITATS.

54 55 Ivo Lucic Speleological Association “Vjetrenica - Popovo polje“

IVO LUČIĆ (RAVNO, 1960), JOURNALIST, KARSTOLOGIST AND AN ECOLOGICAL ACTIVIST. AS A JOURNALIST, HE MOSTLY DEALS WITH THE POPULARIZATION OF SCIENCE; IN SCIENCE HE WORKS ON THE PERCEPTION OF NATURE, ESPECIALLY KARST, AND AS AN ACTIVIST HE DEALS WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. HE RAN A VOLUNTEER PROJECT OF THE RESEARCH AND PROTECTION OF VJETRENICA, WHICH CLASSIFIED IT AS THE RICHEST CAVE IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF THE UNDERGROUND BIODIVERSITY, THAT IS, AS THE “UNDERGROUND GALAPAGOS”.

56 CALL “PROJEKT” A.D. FOR A MURDER

Environmental Impact Assessments are considered as a credible mechanism in the local public, by means of which is assessed impact of a certain interven- tion on the environment. The results of their evaluations, it is usually consid- ered, rest on scientific facts and ethical principles of the experts conducting the procedure, hence there should be no dilemmas related to their instructions. What the study says is the best thing to be done. Quite contrary to that, we are witnesses of the fact that such studies are, as a rule, sloppy with general data, and that they lack many important insights into the value of the environment. The participants in the development of the study are in most cases employees of the contractor, whose expertise is of vari- able character, and ethics is limited by the fact that they can “get the sack” in a twinkle of an eye if they stand up against the employer. In the majority of studies – actually in almost all studies – the results of the study are known even before the procedure of assessment is carried out, which is, in fact, a characteristic mockery of science. When it comes to the region of supreme values such as Sutjeska, it is expected that all of its aspects are well-known, and that they elicit deep respect of the profession and general public, which no one will try to trick by a similar mechanism. In this brief overview we will try to show how nature, environment and landscape of the NP Sutjeska are presented in the Environmental Impact Assessment of MHE Hrčavka , done by the contractor “Projekt” a.d. from Banja Luka. Then we shall try to explain how a relatively credible picture from that study served for manipulations on the ground of which the intervention obtained approval for the construction, meaning that the expert evaluations in the Study lose their sense eventually. In a similar vein, we can take into consideration any project in the NP Sutjeska or its vicinity.

57 flora and fauna of the Republic of Srpska. HOW IS NATURE PRESENTED IN THE STUDY? Vertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mam- mals are better described, whereby special attention is given Out of 217 pages of the Study, 35 pertain to the determi- to chamois. The fish species are described individually, and nation of the fundamental ingredients of the environment: so are amphibians, for which it is said that they are one of the soil, living world and landscape. The unique nature of the the most endangered groups of vertebrates today, and the flora and vegetation stands out on them, reflected in a large same holds for the reptiles. When it comes to birds, there is number of endemic, relict and rare species and communi- a detailed overview of 114 species that have been recorded ties that represent a unique centre of floristic, vegetation in the NP Sutjeska, which makes 36 percent of the total and ecosystem diversity that can rarely be found “in our number of birds known in Bosnia and Herzegovina. country and on the region of the whole Europe”. Moreover, it A warning is given for the mammals fauna, in terms of is considered important to note that a significant number of it being insufficiently researched in Bosnia and Herzegovina plant species that are envisaged for protection by local and due to an insufficient number of researchers, and data is international regulations are recorded. stated for 78 species that have definitely been recorded Only in the NP Sutjeska, about 2.600 species of vascular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereby there do not exist plants have been recorded and classified into 670 genera, adequate faunistic data for most of them, which would 123 families, 52 orders and seven classes. Out of this facilitate the knowledge of their distribution. Insight is then number, 21 species belong to the category of steno-endemic given into six groups of insectivores, bats, rabbits, rodents, species, which means that they are found only on a narrow large carnivores and ungulates. A special focus lies on region of distribution. It is added that such picture also fits chamois, whose population counted 1270 individuals in the narrower region of SHPP “Hrčavka”. 1991, whereas today, it is estimated to around 300 individu- When it comes to the description of the living world, als that are on the way to recovery. the data is filled in differently and increases going from The landscape is said to be really vivid in the whole smaller towards bigger species. It is stressed that there is course of Hrčavka, that it is the result of complex geological, a significant number of endemic species in the zoobenthos, geomorphologic, climate, vegetation and other conditions, from the order of Plecoptera; also, three endemic species as well as that it is cut in sequences into limestone and are mentioned: one of the Balkan Peninsula and one of the non-limestone rock layers. In the parts where the limestone Dinarides, and one of them is protected by the Regulation on is dominant, the canyon parts are developed, whereas other the Red list of the protected species of flora and fauna of the parts feature gorges. This special value and beauty of the Republic of Srpska. After that, three endemic species from landscape is heightened by high, cut off limestone rocks on the rank of Trichoptera, which are distributed in the Balkans, whose slopes and reefs the black pine “rules”, while the are represented, as well as an endemic species of Bosnia rock cracks are inhabited by rare species and their commu- and Herzegovina. Among them there is also one species nities of endemic character. that is protected by the Regulation on the Red list of the pro- „The natural phenomena are wonderful”. The landscape tected species of flora and fauna of the Republic of Srpska. that is developed in NP Sutjeska, it is said, represents an We are referred to the fact that brooks and rivers of almost untouched wilderness of an astonishing beauty. Then Sutjeska’s basin area are one of the most important regions an overview is given of the natural good of special values, as in B&H for the life of dragonflies, which are stenovalent well as immovable cultural good in relation to the facilities organisms, and can hardly cope with a minimal change of and activities envisaged by the construction and operation any of the ecological factors. of SHPP “Hrčavka”. It is stressed at the beginning that the Speaking of invertebrates, it is said that their most national parks were formed in order to protect the ecologi- numerous and most diverse group comprises the class of cal integrity of one or more ecosystems for the present and insects, whereby butterflies are most closely quantified, with future generation, and it is noted that no kind of exploitation 35 species being recorded, out of which one is protected by or visits that can cause changes or damage to nature are the Regulation on the Red list of the protected species of allowed in national parks. What is emphasized then is the

58 existence of a strict natural reservation Perućica within the to the level of a detailed knowledge of the functioning of the NP Sutjeska, which is established for the purpose of protec- ecosystems and its endurance. This is required because of tion of natural biodiversitiy, dendrologic, geologic, geomor- the pressures that can be expected in the future from the phologic and hydrologic, as well as the scientific values. legal management of this park. Apart from the protected zone for chamois, a series of Quite in the spirit of the traditional mechanical under- protected categories, such as caves and hydrologic monu- standing of the value and hunter’s mentality, the Study ments are highlighted, and the proposal is stated for joining places greater accent on the large fauna, as if it needs Sutjeska into the Emerald network, a specific predecessor of nothing for life. the ecological network Natura 2000. Likewise, the Study stresses the lack of the Red list of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also indicates that there is the Regulation on the Red list of the protected species of flora ON WHOSE SIDE ARE THEY? and fauna of the Republic of Srpska, which, for example, has included more than 60 exceptional species from the groups When the natural values are thus set forward, one could of milfoil, , woodruff, hawk’s beard, orchids, blue bells, iris, think that the study developer did things correctly and stitchwort… explained everything in the best possible manner, both about Moreover, it is said that great floristic and vegetation di- the natural values and dangers. versity of this region, the presence of a considerable number What else could you expect – they stated everything that of endemic, relict and endangered species and communi- the nature means, sometimes with more, and sometimes ties, imposes the need for a long-term conservation and with less hidden sympathies, as well as the threat to the improvement of this sensitive mountain area. This implies same. an adequate legal protection, expert management, education The benthos of the streams of the NP Sutjeska is ex- and inclusion of local communities in the protection system, plained in a simple manner and some of its members have stricter control of human activities and an eventually sus- been singled out. This would have been appropriate for some tainable use of natural resources aligned with the strategic popular school magazine, and is equally good for a wider goals of the conservation of the region. understanding of the study. However, as the basis for the This is all nicely said, so that the Study earns the trust management of a unique ecosystem, this is far from enough. of the readers from time to time, who could think that, as The present living world rests on these watercourses in a they read on, they will come across a logical suggestion that very basic way, and any kind of management of the same the fruitless job of the construction of any kind of industrial requires a many-years monitoring of the ecological relations installations should be given up on. within it. On the grounds of that monitoring, the impacts And then you come across the following sentence: “It should be carefully considered and empirical insights should is precisely on the place where is planned construction of be given as to the degree of invading those systems that can SHPP “Hrčavka” that inaccessible and shadowed habitats guarantee its maintenance, and that which can have fatal have enabled the survival of the populations of numerous consequence for it. species from the Tertiary until today.” And the confession: The faunistic school from Sarajevo in the seventies and “Expected changes can be manifested through the loss eighties of the 20th century - Mara Marinković Gospodnetić, or reduced numbers of individual species, which require Ljubica Kaćanski, Mirjana Tanasijević and Salih Krek, led by a necessary water flow for the migration at the time of the ecologist Smilja Mučibabić – shed light on and to a large multiplication.” extent demonstrated what is known on the mountain cours- es today, which include the watercourses of NP Sutjeska. In more recent times, this has been upgraded. This should continue to be researched within the obligations that exist in the maintenance of the National park in order to raise that significant, and yet only partial, degree of being researched

59 PRIJEVOR WITH A VIEW TO MAGLIĆ

THE COMPETENT BODIES OF THE NATIONAL PARK WOULD HAVE TO BE FIRST TO REACT TO THIS, AND THEN THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT. IF THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, THEY SHOULD RESIGN.

60 should be conquered. Towards the machine one does not THE DEATH OF NATURE have and need not have feelings. You can decompose it to the smallest parts and put it together again. You will not find This order of interpretation of the natural values confuses in it what we call the soul. the readers, and it should be understood that the game is We experience the Earth the way it is observed by specific played on two fields. On the one hand, the Study describes and separated sciences. For example, in the rock geology, in and advocates exceptional natural values, stresses the the widest viewing angle, the continental mass is observed, status of threat, and even calls for the education and care- and then the individual species of rock are looked at, their ful use, and on the other, in the same tone, it advocates construction, composition and texture, as well as the physi- interventions that are incompatible, especially for those who cal or chemical features, then their use in civil engineering, truly know and appreciate the layered values of Sutjeska. and then we stress its use in the development of industry. For them, the truth is, it is said that they will not have any There is nothing that could make them the subject of own negative impacts (“except the loss or reduction of some right on life and survival. In biology we observe both plants species”), but what does the concept “negative” mean for the and animals: the industrial food production has completely study developers except the possibility of losing their job!? forgotten that this is about living beings. On the farms This is where the gap between the scientific facts and ethics millions of chickens, their whole lives, are subjected to can be seen most clearly. Ethics does not follow and react intolerable cruelty. Physics sees everything as the move- equally to the same values. Why? ment of matter, chemistry as the micro world of ions – but The real catch is found outside the focus of the Study, nowhere of Nature, which is the very life itself. The death of and we do not see it. It is about the improvement in the nature has occurred, as C. Merchant says. Nature has been worldview in which the same facts are seen in a different murdered and we didn’t even notice it. light and which reveal the real drama over nature and the This can well be seen on the example of the “Project’s” real proportion of destruction. The American philosopher Study. The National park was ecologically created through Carolyn Merchant called this “the death of nature”. In the millions of year of the joint work of the organic and inorganic traditional and pre-modern societies, nature was understood matter as well as the spiritual development (Hamilton – as a single total identity, as a super organism. All the earth Smith), and this is what makes it a unique natural phe- is a single being, with all organic and inorganic bodies, nomenon. It is a unique ecological integrity that should be including us on it. The traditions have called it differently, but observed precisely as a person, as a personality. most of them converge in the conception of the Earth as the Not only do the persons have the right on physical mother. This is where the attitude towards the Earth stems integrity, but also the right to moral non-desecration. The from: do what you have to do to live, feed yourself, build and National park Sutjeska has the right on its dignity. Everyone the like, but take care that it is your mother and do not take who knows what an ecosystem is, i.e. that every ecosystem from her what you do not need. Pick a plant and use it, but is a special phenomena, and the ecosystem of Sutjeska is with gratitude. All with the awareness of being part of that something above everything of that sort in Bosnia and Her- world and of the fact they are brothers and sisters to you. zegovina, will understand that you cannot make interven- The image of this world and attitude towards the Earth are tions in NP Sutjeska with its remaining what it is and as it is. equally built by reason, ethics and empathy. We leave aside the question: what use could justify such an Then came the modern, rational and industrial age. intervention? All the Earth was identified with matter, with the bio- Modernists would say: the National park Sutjeska is a physical world. It is analyzed to the smallest detail, decom- person, but only a legal entity. It is true that it is also a legal posed, connected and added up. All this rests mainly on the entity, because in the modern societies things are looked at physical laws and physics, especially mechanics, plays the and arranged legally, but in the foundations of its legal form key role in managing the world. The metaphor of the mother lies the identity of a person that is grounded on exceptional earth has been replaced by two other metaphors: the image natural values and exceptional results of their relations that of the Earth as a machine and the picture of wild nature that make it special and unique ecosystem. It is a living person!

61 Well, when we know this, let us try to think carefully, from the perspective of that person and its interest. This does not mean that we will stop eating and drinking, building and developing civilization. No, it just means that in doing all that we shall think from the perspective of nature as well. For those who wonder and even laugh at this, it should be said that we are obligated to do this by a number of laws, especially those that pertain to Aarhus Convention, in the passing of which they themselves may have taken part. To do an industrial intervention here would be equal to taking to the altar of a church a shaving bowl or a concrete mixer. Or to install a WC toilette in the kitchen of your home. And the so-called experts that allow this should be reminded that science is not a typical trade or an intellectual prostitu- tion, but a development of a responsible scientific view of the world. The competent bodies of the National park should be first to react to this, and then the minister of environment. If there is nothing they can do, they should resign. Study developers should not praise the values of our nature. It is enough if they leave, abandon their rude project and thereby they will do a lot for us and their children, in fact, much more than the modest salary they will have earned on this study. In that way, they will themselves contribute to the aware- ness of our common values and encourage us to start using those common values in a joint manner and for our common future. For what is at stake is a natural capital that cannot be expressed in words. It is sufficient to say that the NP Sutjeska has more species than the whole Poland, which is 1800 times bigger than the NP Sutjeska.

62 A VIEW TO MAGLIĆ

THIS SPECIAL VALUE AND BEAUTY OF THE LANDSCAPE IS HEIGHTENED BY HIGH, CUT OFF LIMESTONE ROCKS ON WHOSE SLOPES AND REEFS THE BLACK PINE “RULES”, WHILE THE ROCK CRACKS ARE INHABITED BY RARE SPECIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES OF ENDEMIC CHARACTER.

63 željko Sekulic Hunting and Environmental Protection Engineer

BORN AND LIVES IN TESLIĆ, WHERE HE FINISHED THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL, WHEREAS HE COMPLETED THE HIGHER EDUCATION STUDIES OF HUNTING AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN KARLOVAC IN CROATIA. HE IS AN ACTIVIST IN THE AREA OF THE PROTECTION OF THE NATURAL WEALTH OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

64 THE IMPACT OF THE WORK AND CONSTRUCTION OF SHPPS IN NP SUTJESKA ON THE HABITAT AND LIFE OF THE BALKAN CHAMOIS (RUPICAPRA RUPICAPRA BALCANICA)

Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) today lives in calm, remoted and heavily accessible mountains and canyons of nearly entire Europe, except for Scandina- via. It survives on individual, mutually separated mountain massifs of different geologic, pedologic, climate and vegetation characteristics. Pursuant to this, the populations that lived in them adapted through centuries and influenced the development and emergence of subspecies on certain geographical regions. It was precisely in our regions that the famous and long-term curator of the Earth Museum in Sarajevo, Stjepan Bolkay, identified back in 1925 and described a special subspecies – the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) – on the basis of a larger number of caught individuals from the region of out mountain massifs. The Balkan chamois is a subspecies that inhabits primeval habitats in certain mountain regions, as well as the steep canyons of the mountain rivers of the Republic of Srpska. It is very modest in terms of nutrition, but it is very demanding with respect to the peace it requires in the habitat. The numbers of this noble species has been on the decrease in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the 19th century, but the knowledge of the fact that the number of chamois from 1992, when the population counted about 5700 individuals, has been reduced to a meager 1000 individuals in the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina is alarming, whereby only part of that population is found on the territory of the Republic of Srpska.

65 This drastic fall in the number of chamois is not caused assortments activities during the hunting days, then by by predators that hunt them, or some dangerous disease; frequent intrusion of poachers, as well as the mushrooms the causes are of anthropogenic character – unreason- and various forest fruit collectors. able behavior of man, who devastated the specific chamois Some of the most important habitats on the region of habitats through poaching and destruction, and this gives NP are Planinica, Gornje and Donje Bare, Vilinjak, Ardov, off a defeating tone to such a factual state. Due to irrespon- Volujak, Suha, as well as the canyons of Sutjeska, Jabučnica sible behavior of men, this species is facing the threat of and Hrčavka. complete disappearance from our regions. THE HISTORY OF PROTECTION CHAMOIS IN THE NP SUTJESKA The history of the official protection of natural specifici- NP Sutjeska stretches on 17.500 hectares, and chamois ties and rarities on the regions of the Republic of Srpska are present on certain locations of the park during the whole (then Bosnia and Herzegovina) started by the protection of year. Due to life needs and the impact of weather conditions rare and rarified species of wild animals in the second half during different periods of the year, the chamois stay only on of the 19th century, and it was continued by the protection of certain locations of this region, depending on the time and forests, rivers and wider human environment in the middle period of the year. of the past century. A concrete piece of evidence of the The concentration of chamois is precisely the greatest protection of the region of today’s NP Sutjeska dates back in the region of the park due to constant disturbance on the to 1893 when there ensued the protection of wild animals surrounding areas, which are mainly the result of anthro- on the basis of the official reports of expert persons of then pogenic factors. These disturbances are mainly caused by occupational Austro-Hungarian authorities. The protection nomadic grazing, cutting off and exploitation of wooden stemmed from the report of Fr. B. Laska “The State of Hunt-

TABLE NO. 1 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS THAT PERTAIN TO THE STATUS OF THE CHAMOIS

INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS STATUS

Bern Convention Annex III EU Habitat Protection Annex II, Annex IV Washington Convention (CITES) Annex II

NATIONAL REGULATIONS STATUS

The Law on Hunting of Republic of Srpska Species protected by close season The Law on Hunting of Federation of Species protected by close season Bosnia and Herzegovina

66 ing in the Occupational Area” from 1889. Out of this came the of 63 individuals set out on an unknown path, just because first Law on Hunting (1893) and the Protected area for wild of these frequent disturbances. The stated herd went down animals (Wild-Schongebiet) was established with an end to from the tops of the Planinica and Tovarnica into the canyon higher quality of the protection of rare and rarified protection of Sutjeska. Then, having crossed Sutjeska, it started to go of wild animals (chamois and other). over Volujak to Vučevo below Maglić, in order to get down to The regime of the protection of this area that was the canyon of the river Pliva, where it crossed this river on established then was continued later, at the times of the the Čokova luka. Going along the right bank of below Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians and the Kingdom Sokol, the herd moved into the canyon of the river , in of Yugoslavia. After the World War II, this practice was order to come to the NP Durmitor (Montenegro), where it continued even in SFRY, and it remained in use even after the finally found its peace and ultimate shelter. war events from the nineties. The chamois is found on the Red list of the Protected THE IMPORTANCE OF PEACE IN THE HABITAT Species of the Fauna of the Republic of Srpska. AND THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THE SEASONAL BAD EXPERIENCES OF PREVIOUS NEGATIVE MIGRATIONS OF THE CHAMOIS IMPACT OF MAN It is widely known that due to the specificities of the conditions in which they live, chamois do horizontal and On the territory of the Municipality of Kotor Varoš, in the vertical seasonal migrations during certain seasons. It is upper course and the source of the river Vrbanja, the SHPP precisely in the area of the NP Sutjeska that, when deep “Divič”, whose investor and owner is the company “Eling” snow deposits occur, they lower by vertical amplitudes into from Teslić, was constructed in 2002. The hunting ground the canyons of the rivers Sutjeska, Jabučnica, Hrčavka and on that area is managed by the HA “Borčići” from Šiprage, other, as well as into the region of Suha. Due to deep snow which singled out this area as part of the hunting ground and ice, which remain on the surrounding tops above the intended to an intensive breeding of wild animals due to mentioned canyons even until the end of May, their only special natural values, which is in fact envisaged by the salvation is finding the food and peace exactly in the stated current Law on Hunting. The area was primarily singled out canyons. The importance of preserving the peace in these due to protection and securement of peace towards bear, areas, as well as not altering the natural conditions for the which eagerly and constantly stayed in this region due to chamois is immeasurable, and it is precisely the quality of favorable natural and habitat conditions (food, water, peace). the habitats that determines the scope, quality and diversity Dents and “winter homes” of this endangered species are of the available food and water, as well as the adequate known here, but due to the devastation of this area in the habitats in which they can find protection from predators and course of construction of SHPP, the bears left if forever. bad weather conditions. It is precisely the stated places that They found peace on the slopes of Vlašić, which belong to should provide the shelter where they will bring and rasie Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose border is in the young, where they will be safe at the time of eating and the immediate vicinity of the source of the river Vrbanja. All resting, as well as be protected from human disturbance. the springs and brooks from this area were directed into the collective pipes that lead to the SHPP, which creates intoler- able noise. Frequent movements of motor vehicles, the lack of water, peace and the creation of noise resulted in turning what used to be the best habitat for bear in this area into a desolated area. During the war events in 1992, due to disturbances that were not particularly expressed on the area of NP Sutjeska, but were not ignorable either, a herd of chamois consisting

67 BALKAN CHAMOIS (RUPICAPRA RUPICAPRA BALCANICA)

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING THE PEACE IN THESE AREAS, AS WELL AS NOT ALTERING THE NATURAL CONDITIONS FOR THE CHAMOIS IS IMMEASURABLE, AND IT IS PRECISELY THE QUALITY OF THE HABITATS THAT DETERMINES THE SCOPE, QUALITY AND DIVERSITY OF THE AVAILABLE FOOD AND WATER, AS WELL AS THE ADEQUATE HABITATS IN WHICH THEY CAN FIND PROTECTION FROM PREDATORS AND BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS.

68 69 of chamois in that area enormously increased, indicate that NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION this is true. The only possibility of this sudden increase in ON THE ECOSYSTEM that period was precisely the migration of chamois from our regions, caused only by anthropogenic factors. Stjepan Should there come to the execution of works on the Bolkan, the curator of the National Museum in Sarajevo, envisaged SHPPs, it will create a large number of undesir- probably could not even think that, only nine decades after able consequences – starting from the devastation of the his identification of a significant animal subspecies on our surrounding terrain together with the river beds of the stated region, the same would be on the road to disappearance rivers, all the way up to the direct impact on the organisms before the invasion of the “modern” building and civilization and harmful effect of the combustion of fossil fuels, espe- imposed by narrow eye sights and some narrow interests. cially on the sensitive and rare endemic flora. The destruc- The knowledge that the occupational authority of the tion of the flora on the region of the construction implies Austro-Hungarian Monarchy placed the current area of the a whole series of other unfavorable impacts, primarily the NP Sutjeska under a special regime of protection back in negative change of microclimate conditions. Every change of 1893 and that it recognized the natural values and rarities the microclimate inevitably leads to changes in the composi- unique in Europe and wider is painful. Even more painful tion of the vegetation, and the survival of the authentic fauna is the fact that even today, in the general herbarium of the (which comprises chamois too) depends on the preservation Parisian Museum „Musèum d’histoire naturelle“, species of the vegetation cover. Should it be mentioned at all the au- from the basin area of Sutjeska dating back to 1840have thentic fauna and vegetation cover are two inter-conditioned been found , which is the merit of the French researcher factors? Ami Bouè. Today, we, unfortunately, do not recognize this ecologi- cal, historical and cultural wealth. In other national parks CONCLUSION even swimming is unthinkable, and in our country even the idea of the construction of SHPPs is conceivable. The planned SHPPs on the locations within NP Sutjeska We make a precedent in the world, because in the normal are, due to narrow economic interests, at very least incom- countries, the construction of SHPPs in NP cannot even be patible with the concept of a national park. The potential dreamt of... construction of SHPPs in NP Sutjeska will have immense The datum I stated in relation to the SHPP “Divič” consequences on this area. The extent to which peace and undoubtedly indicates that, due to large-scope works, authenticity are needed to these primeval habitats for cham- disturbances, negative changes of the ecosystems and too ois can easily be concluded from the stated example of the big noise, wild animals go in search of calmer regions. chamois that migrated (ran away) to NP Durmitor. Although the stated territory had been home to bears, after It is only one registered and recorded case, and it is quite the construction of SHPP they left this region and their traces certain that there were more such migrations in that period. only occasionally occur here, mainly during the night when The data from the region of Durmitor, on which the number they move to other locations. The chamois is a much more

70 impetuous animal than the bear and certainly will not toler- times, precisely on the constructed SHPP “Divič” in the upper ate possible changes in the NP. The very knowledge that in course of the river Vrbanja. It is absolutely realistic to expect the winter season its main habitats are made precisely of the same to happen on these rivers too if the planned SHPPs those regions in which the construction of SHPPs is planned get constructed. should sound an alarm on all fields of the protection of this This obsession and hunger for money do not know any endangered species, which by its presence does no harm to laws, and let alone the needs of the plant and animal world anyone. On the contrary, its presence in the NP gives a spe- of the stated region. What used to be one of the most beauti- cial value to these region, and by attaining an optimal num- ful corners of Republic of Srpska (the source of the river ber of this species on the area of the NP and the neighboring Vrbanja) turned into a desecrated nature, with visible traces hunting ground “Zelengora”, which is also managed by the of the “modern civilization”. From all the promises, only two NP Sutjeska, large and substantial financial assets can be workers were employed to maintain the plant, while all the achieved, which we obviously do not recognize and more profit form the produced power goes to the account of the importantly, we would not thereby disturb the ecosystem of SHPP owner. Nature destroyed – immeasurable. Previous the National park. generations saved these natural rarities for us, and we can- In what way can we make a sensible connection between not guarantee, offer and save nothing else than photographs the construction of SHPPs and entering the chamois to the and memories for some future generations. All of this is in Red list of the protected species of the fauna of Republic of contradiction with the rules stipulated by the IUCN (Interna- Srpska, under the number 23 on the list of mammals? There tional Union for Conservation of Nature), whose list includes is no explanation, except that we write one, and do some the NP Sutjeska too. What will the reaction be on the part other thing. of the IUCN and other international institutions, whose task What influence will the mining which will be inevitable in is the protection and conservation of special rarities of our the course of construction of SHPP have, and what about the planet? everyday noise and dust, as well as spilling out of various Sutjeska, which hides numerous natural rarities of the kinds of oil and oil derivatives, which is a regular phenome- plant and animal world, represents not only a specific histor- na on construction machines – we should not even imagine. ical, geologic, hydrologic and geomorphologic area, but also The emergence of new facilities together with noise a special natural laboratory and an “open encyclopedia” of will certainly cause new migrations of chamois, which will nature, which has an invaluable significance for education, probably once again seek their peace in the NP Durmitor. At scientific-research works and the development of tourism. the end of the sixties, it was precisely the chamois from our Sutjeska, with a survived tragedy of epopee, has become the regions that inhabited another continent, more precisely, the symbol of freedom, victory, exceptional sacrifice, courage Park “Diana” in Argentina, where they successfully survive and moral firmness in the hardest temptations, so let it even today. remain such in the future too, together with us… The amount of water that should secure the biologi- cal minimum, which is also a legal obligation, is mainly disrespected, into which I have convinced myself a thousand

71 Prof. Cedomir Burlica, PhD

BORN IN 1934, AND SINCE 1972 A DOCTOR OF FOREST SCIENCES. UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR IN RETIREMENT.

72 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL HYDRO POWER PLANTS AND THE LAND

It is evident that the needs for electrical power grow from day to day. That is why the need for the construction of power plants and even small power plants is justified. However, it does not mean that those power plants should be built at any cost and on any place, especially not in the region of national parks, as is the case with the planned small hydro power plants on the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka. This moral question and question of principle aside – we are here interested in the potential impact of the construction of power plants on the land in the basins of Sutjeska and Hrčavka.

73 The construction of small power plants, that is, water The consequence of these two changes would be this: catchments, pipelines and power plant (machine house), as • the danger of intensifying the process of land erosion, it is treated of in the EIA, does not cover large areas of land and given that the lands on limestone, which are to a large (only 13 hectares in the Hrčavka’s basin and 10 hectares in extent subject to erosion, are mostly incident on the treated the basin of Sutjeska), hence the impact of the construction area, this danger should not be ignored (and the Study treats would be limited, especially if conducted according to plans of this problem more theoretically in the relevant chapter on and regulations. However, that is a rather rare case in our erosion, from the point of view of the whole basin). practice, and if the pipelines of the power plants in the basin It is also evident that, apart from the stated impact on of Hrčavka cover a larger part of its course (from 9 to 15 km the land, there exists the impact that occurs by changing of the watercourse), then we are not speaking of a small the water flow. However, the studies do not give sufficient impact. data for the assessment of this impact, nor do they go into The problem of using the land for the needs of the the very problem. For example, for the assessment of the production and use of electrical power does not end here. flow of Hrčavka, only the result of simultaneous measuring For it is necessary to bring the produced electrical energy to done on 18 June 2006 is given, even though it is stated in the end users, that is, power lines are needed. The EIA, however, Study that the observation of the water level and flow was treats of this problem only from the aspect of magnetic done on VS Kaptaža in the period from 1988 to 1991. radiation, and even then only hypothetically according to On the other hand, there remains the issue of the amount various types of lines. of caught water and change in the catchment (which are It is precisely the need for constructing the power line, announced in the Study), so that it is not possible to speak of according to our assessment, that requires the biggest areas these impacts on the land without certain hedging. of land. The following assessments are necessary for the In the end, I am free to say that the Study to a large areas envisaged by the construction (together with the areas extent deals with the problems that are of secondary impor- under the power lines): tance in the subject construction (noise, air pollution, etc.), • change of the purpose of use of the land, because the whereas the important influence of the power lines on wider forest areas would by and large be turned into some form of aspect of the environment is not considered at all. grass cover, • changes in the nature of land because the pipelines are planned to be partly buried in earth (without giving detailed data about what is the length of the pipelines that will be buried, at what depth and an what place), which implies a change in the nature of land.

74 A VIEW AT THE PRIMEVAL FOREST PERUĆICA

THE PROBLEM OF USING THE LAND FOR THE NEEDS OF THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF ELECTRICAL POWER DOES NOT END HERE. THE NEED FOR CONSTRUCTING THE POWER LINES, ACCORDING TO OUR ESTIMATE, REQUIRES THE GREATEST AREAS OF THE LAND.

75 Prof. Salih Krek, PhD.

GRADUATE FROM BIOLOGY AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE IN BELGRADE, WHERE HE WORKED AS A PROFESSOR. HIS AREA OF EXPERTISE IS ENTOMOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, AND HE HAS CONDUCTED RESEARCH ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE.

76 FLORISTIC - FAUNISTIC SPECI- FICITIES OF THE DINARIDES LET US PRESERVE OUR NATURAL WEALTH

Generally speaking, it can be said that the fauna and flora of the Bosnian- Herzegovinian part of the Balkans shows a great degree of diversity. It is manifested in the wealth of different types of distribution, that is, different bio- geographical elements: geopolitical, Holarctic, Palearctic, European, Central European, Western Eu- ropean, South European, Dinaric, Bosnian/Herzegovinian, Bosnian and Herzego- vinian. It stands out in particular by high incidence of endemic species – primar- ily species that inhabit exclusively Bosnian-Herzegovinian, that is, Bosnian and Herzegovinian part of the Dinarides, i.e. species with smaller or greater degree of micro(areal). What is indicated here is part of the results of research of a group of aquatic insects from the region of Tjentište (and wider) (Krek 1987, 1999), where, among other things, the micro zoning of endemic forms of these aquatic insects, that is, their bonds with the respective canyons, i.e. the basin areas of Drina, , Vrbas, Neretva and Una, was analyzed. It was stated that each of them is characterized by a certain number of steno-en- demic species. The greatest number of such species inhabits the basin of Drina, and somewhat smaller number inhabits the basin of Bosna. They have not been found outside the basins that encircle the mountains Jahorina and Treskavica on the west, Kovač and Ljubišnja on the east, Maglić and Zelengora on the south and Romanija and Devetak on the north, and which partly encircle the canyons of Sutjeska, Tara and Piva, as well as the canyons of Bistrica, Ćehotina, Prača and the upper course of Drina. This area shows quite a specific composition of the species of this group of insects, a composition that cannot be found in other, not even neighboring regions; hence it can be said the it represents the fundamental, but not the only developmental center of the majority of Dinaric (steno)endemic species of the researched group of aquatic insects. Given the incidence of a large number of endemic species, especially micro-endemic species in the stated developmental center, it can be said that Boasnia and Herzegovina undoubtedly belongs to the group of precious developmental centers of the Dinaric, that is, Balkan ende- mism. Hence it is our job to devote maximal attention to this natural phenom- enon and conserve this wealth for our offspring and us.

77 BLACK PINE (PINUS NIGRA)

78 ON THE PRIMEVAL FOREST PERUCICA (IN MEMORIAM)

„IF A REGULAR REPORT WERE SENT FROM OUR ONE AND WHILE IT GREW AND LIVED, MOZZART COMPOSED ABOUT ONLY PRIMEVAL FOREST, IT WOULD CERTAINLY LOOK A BIT 600 COMPOSITIONS, BETHOVEN HIS FIFTH SYMPHONY, AND POETIC: ‘PERUĆICA IS WASHED BY RAINS - THERE IS MYSTE- BACH HIS PIANO CONCERTOS. RIOUS LIFE IN ITS VEINS’. THE GRASS HAS OVERGROWN THE BEAST’S HEAD, AND REARS ON ITS LEGS TO SEE THE QUEST. PERHAPS IT DIED FROM MEMORIES TOO? IN THIS TZAR FORES, THE PEACE RULES.” AS IT COLLECTED ITS NUMEROUS RINGS, THE COMMUNISTS RARELY DO WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY - AS WE HAVE CONQUERED PARIS, THE BASTILLE FELL DOWN, AND FRANKIE THESE DAYS - TO SEE THE REPORT START UNUSUALLY: PROVED THAT THUNDERS, IN THEIR NATURE, ARE ELECTRI- ‘SILENCE BROKE IN PERUĆICA! AND THE VOICE BROKE OF AN CAL PHENOMENA. UNUSUAL DEATH, AS IF HANGED BY THE ROPE - AT THE ALTI- TWO WITCHES WERE BURNED TO DEATH IN SWITZERLAND TUDE OF 1400 METRES - ON THE SOUTHWESTERN SLOPE.’ AND THREE IN POLAND. THE HERZEGOVINIANS ROSE UP AGAINST THE TURKS. AND HERE COME TO INSPECT THE SIGHT: DR PAVLE FUK- PASTEUR, KOCH AND DARWIN MADE GREAT DISCOVERIES. AREK, DR PETAR NAPOLEON SET MOSCOW ON FIRE. DRINIĆ, DR NIHAD PROLIĆ, ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR AS- THE FIRST RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, THE OCTOBER REVOLU- SISTENTS, FORESTERS, JOURNALISTS. TION, STORMED THROUGH. TESLA GAVE ABOUT 1000 DISCOVERIES AND PATENTS FROM TO THE FIRST QUESTION - WHO HAS DIED? WE ANNOUNCE ELECTRONICS. THE FOLLOWING: THE FOREST METHUSELAH HAS DIED! THE LENIN PASSED THE DECREE AND LAW ON FORESTS. WILLOWY SPRUCE HAS DIED AFTER MORE THAN 300 YEARS. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DIED IN THE WORLD WARS I AND II. 300 YEARS, AND YET WILLOWY. ALMOST FIVE METRES AROUND THE WAIST, WILLOWY STILL. AS SUCH IT REARED AND THIS OTHER THING DIED THESE DAYS FROM OVER- TO OVER 50 METRES, KISSED THE SUN AND FELL DOWN! WHELMING MEMORIES AND A SINGLE - RATHER MILD WIND. MADE ITS HEART ROTTEN! ITS DEATH IS THE GREAT- ALL THIS IS RECORDED. IT IS SURVEYED, MEASURED, EST EVENT IN OUR BIGGEST PRIMEVAL FOREST. IT LIVED FOR LOOKED AT, AND RECORDED FOR SCIENTIFIC DATA. THE MORE THAN 300 SUMMERS AND ONLY THEN DID IT FALL KNOWLEDGEABLE PROFESSORS HAVE RECORDED WHAT - STEPPING ON AN ANT. THEY NEEDED AND WILL ENTER IT SOMEWHERE IN THE FUTURE TEXTS. THEY NOTE DOWN THINGS EXACTLY AND IT DESERVED A HUMAN IN MEMORIAM. AND HERE, WE HAVE IN DIGITS. DONE ONE WITH RESPECT. WAKING ON THE DEAHT OF SPRUCE, OVER ITS BODY, WE ADD: SOME NICE MUSIC SHOULD BE PLAYED OVER THIS FACT. FROM A SHOW ON RTV SARAJEVO MILAN ANDRIĆ

79 Jovica Sjenicic Bachelor of Ecology - Environment Protection

CURRENTLY ON MASTER STUDIES IN ANIMAL ECOLOGY. SO FAR, HE HAS BEEN ENGAGED AS A COORDINATOR AND ASSOCIATE ON SEVERAL SCIENTIFIC AND EXPERT PRO- JECTS AND STUDIES RELATED TO THE VALORIZATION AND PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY. ONE OF THE ASSOCIATES ON THE PROJECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF RED LISTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA. CURRENTLY ENGAGED AS AN EXTERNAL ASSOCIATE OF THE INSTITUTE FOR GENETICAL RESOURCES AND ALSO WORKS AS THE ECOLOGIST IN THE COMPANY “HEMOPRAL”. ONE OF THE FOUNDERS AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE RESEARCH AND PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY, THE FIRST ASSOCIATION DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE STUDIES AND PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY IN REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA.

80 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION - A DEAD LETTER ON PAPER

The up-to-now data on the rare, endangered and protected fauna of the water habitats and their surroundings in the NP Sutjeska are very significant, because they point to the presence of endemic and very rare species, which are hard to observe in their natural habitat and whose significance for the ecological stability of mountain rivers is hard to recognize. Sutjeska, Hrčavka and their tributaries contain endemic species of water insects from the order Plecoptera (partridges, stoneflies), whose survival would be endangered by the construction of small hydro power plants (SHPPs): Leuc- tra hippopoides – the endemic species of Dinarides, Leuctra olympia, Isoperla albanica, Siphonoperla neglecta graeca – all three being the endemic species of the Balkans, and probably Protonemura autumnalis – DD category according to IUCN, Brachyptera beali and Brachyptera helenica – also the endemic species of the Balkans. Also present in the rivers of the NP Sutjeska are many endemic species of the species Trichoptera (water moths, caddis flies), whose survival would also be directly endangered by the construction of SHPPs: Hydropsyche mostarensis, Rhyacophila trescavicense, Drusus radovanovici, Potamophylax winneguthi, Potamophylax schmidi, Chaetopteryx bosniaca, Chaetopteryx gono- spina, Agapetus slavorum, Anitella triloba, Crunoecia bosniaca – all being en- demic species of the Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Hydropsyche tabacarui, Rhyacophila loxias, Rhyacophila balcanica, Rhyacophila bosnica, Rhyacophila furcifera, Micrasema sericeum – the endemic species of the Balkans, whereby some are known only from Maglić and Zelengora. The majority of the listed spe- cies are found on the Regulation on the Red list of the protected species of flora and fauna of Republic of Srpska. At the same time, more detailed research of certain species of water insects from the orders of Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera, for which the NP Sutjeska is most likely the typical location, and which is of the world scientific importance, is urgently needed. Rare and unusual species of the zoobenthos of Sutjeska, Hrčavka and Jabučnica have a huge significance for the fish fauna, as they are their principal food, which is why it makes no sense to consider the measures of the protec- tion of hatchery and corridor of ichthyiofauna without previously securing the conditions for the survival of the zoobenthos communities. The maintenance of the water regime is necessary for the survival of benthos communities, which, though often being poor in species in the mountain brooks and rivers, are unique and phylogenetically very old, and survive precisely owing to relatively stable geological, hydrologic and climate factors, which are disturbed by interventions such as the construction of SHPPs. Disturbances in the water regime will cause

81 THE PEREGRINE FALCON (FALCO PEREGRINUS)

THE SURVIVAL OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BIRD SPECIES DEPENDS ON THE GORGES AND CANYONS, WHICH REPRESENT THE NESTING POINTS FOR MANY SPECIES.

82 negative changes in the composition and number of the the wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) and many other. All bottom of the fauna, which is particularly sensitive due to the stated species are found in the annexes of the EU Birds narrow ecological valence for many ecological factors, that Directive, Bern Convention and the Regulation on the Red is, due to a low degree of tolerance to changes in the living lists of Republic of Srpska. The survival of the most impor- conditions. The pipelines and water interventions which are tant species of birds depends on the gorges and canyons, necessary for the construction of SHPPs will not only erode which represent the nesting points for the stated species. the functionality and ecological unity of the water course It is necessary to ask ourselves why the legal status of on which they are planned, but also represent a visual and the protection of this national park, passed by the Law on aesthetic pollution of this unique landscape, which is cer- National Parks (the “Official Gazette of RS”, no. 75/110) and tainly easier to valorize in the eco-touristic, than in electro- the Law on Nature Protection (the “Official Gazette of RS”, energetic sense. no. 113/08), old status of the protection from theNational The list of other groups of invertebrates endangered by Institute for the protection of cultural monuments and civil engineering and infrastructural works on the region of natural rarities Sarajevo (the Assembly of the SR Bosnia and Sutjeska is still insufficiently known, but is almost certainly Herzegovina, 1962), the initiative from the Management plan rather long. Numerous species of endemic Collembola of the NP Sutjeska 2003-2012 (NP Sutjeska , 2007) , the (springtails) are present on the territory of the NP Sutjeska, plan of extension from the Law on the Natural and Cultural and so are the internationally endangered species Lepidop- Heritage of SR BiH from 1982 (the “Official Gazette of SR- tera (butterflies). We do not even have to describe the nega- BiH”, no. 4/1965) and the more recent plan of extension from tive impact of the construction and exploitation on the other the Spatial plan of Republic of Srpska until 2015, from the fauna of land invertebrates,especially underground fauna, year 2008, are not sufficient for the argumentation in favour which is particularly important in the cave ecosystems and of the prohibition of harmful infrastructural works. rock cracks, completely unknown and non-researched, and The region of Sutjeska has also been nominated within certainly directly endangered by such activities. certain projects for the international protection, even for the All the planned interventions cannot avoid the negative list of EMERALD areas, and it could also be found on UNES- impacts on the change of composition and structure of ter- CO’s list of the world heritage. The initiative of the Faculty restrial animal communities. The NP Sutjeska is a potential of Forestry from Banja Luka for the legal protection of the IBA area (Important Bird Area), which means that it meets primeval forest Perućica as an exclusive natural reservation the scientifically chosen and standardized criteria for the in the vicinity of the planned SHPPs, the existence of the old maintenance of a favourable state of the populations of status of protection on the basis of the Law on the Protec- endangered bird species. This national park is inhabited by tion of Cultural Monuments and Natural Rarities (the “Official the species that are found on the annexes of the Birds Direc- Gazette of NRBiH”, no. 19/47) of the National Institute for the tive, and B&H, together with Republic of Srpska, have also Protection of the Cultural Monuments and Natural Rarities undertaken the obligations to respect this agreement. In this Sarajevo from 1954, as well as the decision of the Repre- case, those are species that are internationally endangered, sentation of the Government of NRBiH, no. 237/52, by means species restricted by biome, those of global importance or of which Perućica was protected as the forest with special simply species with an unfavourable protection status in purpose, undoubtedly indicate that the biological values of Europe. It suffices to list only some of the species that are this area were always recognized by the experts in the field characteristic for this region: the Western capercaillie (Tetrao and decision makers even in the old country. This impressive urogallus) and the Rock partridge (Alectoris graeca), which number of legal and other acts that the state has ratified, are at the same time rare and attractive hunted wild animals to the contrary of the tendencies for initiating an unaccept- in B&H, then the Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), which is able activity in such an area, can only point to the lack of rare and not numerous (45-75), the corn crake (Crex crex), understanding of the fundamental principles and concepts which had been endangered until recently, the Eaurasian of the nature protection, as well as to the fact that nature eagle owl (Bubo bubo), the horned lark (Eremophila alpes- protection in our country is nothing more than a dead sign tris), a glacial relict of this high mountain region, on paper.

83 Jasmin Pašic Bachelor of Ecology M. Sc Daniela Hamidovic

IUCN Bat Specialist Group focal point, Croatia

AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE CENTER FOR DEBRIS AND SPELEOLOGY FROM SARAJEVO, ENGAGED IN THE PRO- JECTS OF THE UNDERGROUND FAUNA PROTECTION, ESPECIALLY FOCUSED ON CAVES AS CHARACTERISTIC NATURAL FACILITIES AND BATS AS THE CHARACTERISTIC GROUP OF ANIMALS. PARTICIPANT IN MANY SEMINARS, CONFERENCES AND CAMPAIGNS RELATED TO THE RESEARCH AND PROTECTION OF BIODIVERISTY. HAS BEEN DEALING WITH SPELEOLOGY AND BIOSPELEOLOGY SINCE 2001, AS A MEMBER OF THE SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY “PONIR” FROM BANJA LUKA. BORN IN ZAGREB, WHERE SHE EARNED A DEGREE AND DID THE MASTER DEGREE IN BIOLOGY - ECOLOGY WITH THE THESIS ON HIBERNATION OF BATS (ECHOLOCATION OF BATS). HAS BEEN RESEARCHING BATS SINCE 1995. A MEMBER OF EXPERT WORK GROUPS OF UNEP/EUROBATS AGREEMENT. A MEMBER OF THE CROATIAN BIOSPELEO- LOGICAL SOCIETY. A WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR BATS PROTECTION.

84 BATS IN THE NP SUTJESKA

Very little is known about the bats in the NP Sutjeska and, as far as I am aware, there are no data in the literature. The largest number of bats spend the greatest part of their time in the course of the most sensitive life stages (hibernation, mating) in the caves and rock cracks, which certainly are not lacking in the canyons of Sutjeska and Hrčavka. Several years ago, in the immediate vicinity of the NP Sutjeska, in the canyon of the river Bistrica, a group of biologist found a species of bats - Tadarida teniotis, which was then recorded for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and namely as the only representative of the family Molossidae in the country. Given that this species prefers high cliffs and river canyons, we can assume that a significant number of individuals arefound in the NP Sutjeska. Likewise, many bat species catch their prey (solely insects) directly above the surface of the course and next to rivers. Endangering insects (this has been talked about already) would reduce the quantity of available food, as an individual bat catches 500-600 insects per night.

85 It can certainly be said that any kind of changes of the year. Some of the largest family colonies of bats in Europe water flow or level would directly endanger the survival live precisely in the underground shelters in the vicinity of both of bats and all the groups of organisms that live in the karst rivers of the Southeastern Europe. Without systematic underground and next to rivers. A special attention should research it is not possible to assess what would probably be paid to the wealth of Dinarides, as well as the very NP be a very negative impact on the populations of bats in the Sutjeska, across the underground fauna. I would also like canyon of Sutjeska, and consequently the impact at the to mention some examples from Croatia and Serbia, where international – European level. For instance, it was precisely the Lazar’s canyon and the canyon of the river Bijela are due to the erosion of the habitat in the Vilina cave on the inhabited by bats across their whole length, and these bats river Ombla that the European bank for the Renewal and are systematically researched in order to attain conditions Development did not enable the financing of the project of for the necessary level of protection. HPP “Ombla”, while the European Commission required that If we take examples from the EU, to which we strive so additional research on bats and underground fauna in the much, when it comes to protected areas, such as national canyon of the river Dobra, as well as the crayfish and fish parks and Natura 2000 areas, we shall see that it is neces- in the river Dobra for the needs of the construction of HPP sary to do a special study of impact on bats. “Lesce” to be carried out in order to be able to prescribe the If some species of bats is characterized as “qualifica- best measures of attenuating the damage. tory” in a certain Natura 2000 protected area, a special study Those researches were demanding both in terms of time has to be done solely for that species. On the example of and finances, and included a large number of researchers small hydro power plants, the possibility of flooding some (lasting minimally one year). After the construction of the caves could be important, since those caves are important power plant on Dobra, the water temperature increased and to bats. If owing to the so-called precautionary principles whole ecosystem changed. (the Convention on Biodiversity – Rio de Janeiro) very little A strict protection of bats is an indicator that the bats on is known about the area, we should proceed as if there are the international level are recognized as a very endangered strong colonies in the same, and it is necessary to research group, whose role in the conservation of the ecosystems that possibility. This Convention is implemented in the EU is immense; hence it is necessary to carefully inspect the by higher directives, and a really famous directive is the impacts that could erode their populations and try to avoid Habitats Directive, which establishes the Natura 2000 areas. in the very beginning those for which we already know that This principle should always be advocated, and the investors they have no alternative solutions. usually do not do that. In any case, when it comes to the national park, these things without serious studies would not be possible in the EU.

The canyons of the karst rivers are extremely important for the majority of the species of bats. Water represents the hunting habitat rich in prey, while the rock cracks and underground objects in the debris provide shelter during the

86 GREATER MOUSE-EARED BAT (MYOTIS MYOTIS)

WITHOUT SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ASSESS WHAT WOULD PROBABLY BE A VERY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE POPULATIONS OF BATS IN THE CANYON OF SUTJESKA AND CONSEQUENTLY THE IMPACT AT THE INTERNATIONAL - EUROPEAN LEVEL.

87 Dordije Milanovic An engineer of forestry

MAIN EDITOR OF THE NGO “ARBOR MAGNA” - THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL HERITAGE. AUTHOR OF MORE THAN 25 PUBLICATIONS ON THE TOPIC OF THE FLORA AND VEGETATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

88 THE BATTLE FOR SUTJESKA - FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

I am looking at an example of children’s presentation; class IIIa of the Primary School in Fojnica, which I had the honour to attend back in the day. And now I feel some liquid glow in my eyes and an unbeatable noodle in my mouth while I read the children’s poem and the strong symbolic of the line: “They cut down the woods, they who, for me, are nothing but rogues and villains”.A children’s nonsense, right!? As the time of the evil war passed, and the polluted air has been brought by the cyclones, the posttraumatic period gains all the stronger stamp, the questions their responses, and the reasons explanation. And now, the highly de- veloped tailors of other people’s happiness, experienced advisors and generous people with good intentions consciously reduce the most preserved European nature to the Central European level of degradation through the story of future investments. Do we understand at all that this shiny future and the dizzy devel- opment of the Old continent, carried by the same cyclone, is now moving to our country!? Who buys that, let him… However, we have more believers than ever, and exactly where it hurts!! And I am bothered… I am bothered by each appearance of hyper-developed denatu- ralized Europeans as the investors into the destruction of biodiversity, environ- ment, surroundings (or, if you like), my home country, the country of my fathers. I do not allow the countries whose forests feature no more than two wolves to even come close to my National park. I raise my hand in the sign of protest and revolt and invite all those who have something to say to survive another “Battle on Sutjeska” together with us. Even if the profession and science fall down in this battle, as long as there are children from the first paragraph, there is hope and we will fight.

89 percentage of Natura 2000 areas. Our country and other MY NATIONAL PARK neighbours are still not part of the EU, but when they do access, what will be the percentage of these areas in BiH, I cannot remember how many times in my modest life I Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania? have spent time in the National park Sutjeska. I do not know According to the extent to which it has been researched, if it is because my lineage was planted there that it always the flora of the flowering plants of the NP Sutjeska (around wins on the task of weighing the options about my vaca- 160 km2) counts more than 1800 species. For example, tions, mountaineering and research. It feels like I could not that is about 4 times bigger than the whole flora of Island, even list all the meadows from which I have counted the which is 650 times bigger in terms of area, or almost like stars, or find a meter next to the rivers from which I have not the whole flora of Poland, which is only 1954 times bigger drunk, to measure the quantity of precipitation that I have than ours. We will deliberately add to this that our five day squeezed from the soaked clothes, all the while wandering research of the flora of the canyons of Sutjeska and Hrčavka on ravines and paths, and besides them, looking for some recorded even 403 plant species, which live next to the rare, blooming flowers. banks of these waters, or are partly or completely tied to I remember ever so often that first passage through the them. Out of that number we confirmed three species of canyon of Hrčavka, without any kind of equipment, in short moss that had not been registered for the flora of our coun- pants, a T-shirt and with a couple of meters of pack-saddle try: Bartramia halleriana Hedw., Plagiomnium ellipticum rope. Together with two similarly equipped fellow passen- (Brid.) T.J. Kop. and Porella arborisvitae (With.) Grolle. If we gers, led by persistency and madness, and helped by the add to this that it is easy to find in literature that another 155 isthmus wilderness, challenging impassability, impressive moss species also live in the NP, as well as 548 insects, out cruelty of the gorge, we stood as strong as lions and con- of which 255 are water insects, then 107 species of birds – quered it, exhausted, only at the very first dawn. Number- then we know, at least roughly, what wealth we are fighting less jumps, cascades and waterfalls at every corner, both for. on the watercourse and on the sides. One moment you have Here, then, comes an efficient scenario of how such a to tread, the next one you must swim, jump, climb and go biodiversity is destroyed. Firstly, the interim Government down, while the longest part of the bed is dry. I cannot forget issues concessions for more than 100 small hydro power climbing the rocks after every second or third jump into the plants on small rivers, of course, of small strength and low cold water, in order just to catch a glimpse of the sun to cost-effectiveness. Then the label “of public interest” is prevent the cold. And on Tjentište the day was extremely pasted on them, in order to loosen up the potential obstacles hot, almost about 40 degrees. And the last jump in the very to the final goal. There also belong, it is understandable, the end: too high, and too shallow… Even today I go back to it, entire central stations in the National park, and among them only a little smarter and better equipped. I do not know what even those that will take water from my beloved canyon. brings me there. I do not have a smart answer. I simply love They are given to concessions to countries with two wolves it and find it that no one, except for me, has to right to call it each. After that, in order to satisfy the legal procedure, the beautiful. development of the EIA is entrusted with private institutions or licensed firms, whose profile is such that we have not had BIODIVERSITY OF BIH the case yet, that some EIA gave a negative conclusion. The structure of their scientific team and their total knowledge Today we speak all the time and on all occasions how we of the environment is such that they do not know, I can are proud on the biodiversity of B&H/RS being our great- guarantee, what grows in front of their house, let alone in an est treasure. But let the numbers speak a little bit. Out of area with such diversity. Then ensues copying from similar somewhat more than 230 habitat types that are considered documents, and literally, sheer plagiarism, without any endangered in Europe, almost a third is present in the effort and intention to hide it. And what’s the worst part; they small Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the European ecological do not even visit the field. Here is evidence to that. network, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria have the greatest I will not spend much time mentioning this awful study.

90 I RAISE MY HAND IN THE SIGN OF PROTEST AND REVOLT AND INVITE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO SURVIVE ANOTHER “BATTLE ON SUTJESKA” TOGETHER WITH US. EVEN IF THE PROFESSION AND SCIENCE FALL DOWN IN THIS BATTLE, AS LONG AS THERE ARE CHILDREN FROM THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, THERE IS HOPE AND WE WILL FIGHT.

91 Others have explained it already, both in this publication and cenoses with synusia of moss, rich in species that are very countless other times. Here we shall reveal just one more, narrowly distributed and very rare in our country. Likewise, rather unknown thing for the readers of these exemplary large waters provide greater necessary moisture in the air Environmetal Impact Assesments. At the public debate in and on somewhat further rocks from the very bank. This can Foča, as the crown of a complete fiasco and confusion of the easily be seen in the vegetation, but also by the life cycle of present people, the entrusted members of the mentioned plants adapted to such conditions. This fact must have had expert team publicly confessed that they had never been in a huge impact on the specific evolutionary path of numer- the canyon of Hrčavka. Well, of course, for who would go to ous endemic species present in the canyon ecosystems of such a neverland, when it is such – hardly passable. They Hrčavka and Sutjeska. Some of them, which are mentioned only went to see the routes of the pipelines and looked for most often, Sutjeska’s bell flower (Edraianthus sutjeskae) the most appropriate engineering solution, so that we mainly and Daphne malyana, were described by our botanists Ra- attended a lecture on the type of constitution, pipe diameter, domir Lakušić and Vilotije Blečić, precisely from the canyon the position of the machine building and yes, the impact of of Sutjeska and the adjacent Piva. the small hydro power plants on the quality of air!? And then It remains unknown why these species end their they concluded without any scrupulousness at all: “there reproductive cycle already in May, during the time of snow will not be any negative impact on the existing state of the melting, while the water levels of the rivers in the canyons environment”. They do not know that the railways of that they inhabit are still high?! Is it because they then have same narrow railroad, which is where the pipeline should enough moisture due to expressed torrents, and sufficient go, are visible in the canyon even today, as a mockery, 40 warmth when the cruel limestone cliffs are bathed in the years after its closure. Nor do they know about the dry beds spring sun? Do they live on the “biological minimum” after and abysses, waterfalls and cascades, reef barriers, plants that and survive an unfavourable dry period waiting again and animals, their communities. And no one mentioned for that perfect balance of warmth and moisture? Is that the those 155 species of moss, 403 vascular plants and 255 reason why during the summer we most often come across water insects. Not a single one, at that. And everything that dried turfs and here and there a green leaf in the carpets of is stated either has no connection with the watercourse, or the Sutjeska’s bellflowers? What will happen if one of those is written incorrectly. factors is at least partly eroded? Such issues were not even Today we know for sure that some organisms are opened by the developers of the stated study, either in terms inhabited precisely here, since they require the presence of these, from the point of view of environment protection of constant moisture in the air. In that, large waters that the most important plant species of the whole National park, directly or indirectly through air give the necessary moisture or in terms of any other species of those 403 species we to the surrounding living communities play a crucial role. found next to the watercourses. Does the National park, as Owing to a unique micro landscape, poor insulation and a category, not exist precisely in order to conserve these smaller amplitude of temperature fluctuations, this moisture sensitive living beings? is maintained later during a longer period. Such places are Likewise, researching the vegetation of herbaceous the home to developed and still not as yet researched phyto- plants on the deposits of gravel around torrential water-

92 courses, we start to perceive its similarity with today’s and irrefutable facts once again, and go backwards instead ruderal communities. of forward?! If we are not aware of that, our praised biodi- The importance of these ecosystems is not degraded versity will have to be separated into two words*. thereby; on the contrary, it requires a special attention and Here, in the end, I deliberately looked for the paper slip strict protection. The key to understanding the survival of that the distinguished professor Čedmoir Burlica tucked numerous autochthonous plants, which we consider ruderal under my nose during a seminar in Sarajevo at the beginning today, probably lies in it, and so does the resolution of the of October 2014. These words were written on it: “Last week issue of their autochthonous nature. The hypothesis that in Academy of Arts and Sciences of the Republic of Srpska, numerous ruderal species emerged precisely on such habi- we were speaking of spatial planning and environment, and tats and lived there all the way until man cleared the way to it was said that the term ‘sustainable development’ was out- landfills and other extremely degraded habitats, where the moded and that we should use the term ‘fight for survival’”. living conditions are similar to the original milieu, seems The way this concept would be formulated by the Sutjeska’s logical. In order to understand this problem more accurately, bellflower, if it was able to speak, is something we can only it is necessary to conduct detailed research and leave such sadly forebode. formations untouched, since the very least or minimal ero- sion of the same could lead to the inhabitation of allochtho- nous species, which would eternally desecrate the original habitat type. Where should we leave room for such research, if not in the National park? The problem of revitalization of such eroded habitats is present everywhere in the developed world today. A recent seminar on the revitalization of moorland in Belgium and the Netherland, held by professor Jean-Paul Herremans, speaks of the setting aside of enormous, for us even unthinkable financial assets for returning the drained moorland into the natural state. Modern trends in the profession say that small hydro power plants make considerably bigger damage than the big ones, hence their demolition and taking down has become a thing of practice and generally accepted. What then is the time we live in like? Today or even 50 years ago? How then am I supposed to react when I am told that my canyon will be wounded, mur- dered, completely filled at the heart of my National park? I do not have the power, therefore I am doomed to scream! Will we turn a blind eye to science, professional guidelines * play on words meaning ‘used to be diversity’

93 94 LADY BELLS (ADENOPHORA LILIIFOLIA)

ACCORDING TO PPRESENT RESEARCH LEVEL, THE FLORA OF THE FLOW- ERING PLANTS OF THE NP SUTJESKA (AROUND 160 KM2) COUNTS MORE THAN 1800 SPECIES. FOR INSTANCE, IT IS ONLY ABOUT 4 TIMES MORE THAN THE WHOLE FLORA OF ISLAND, WHICH IS 650 TIMES BIGGER IN AREA THAN BIH, OR ALMOST LIKE THE WHOLE FLORA OF POLAND, WHICH IS ONLY 1954 TIMES BIGGER.

95 Prof. Petar Grgic, PhD

Prof. Miloš D. Miškovic, PhD

PETAR GRGIĆ - TAUGHT AT THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE IN SARAJEVO AND BANJA LUKA. ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERTS FOR THE MOSS OF OUR REGION AND AN EXPERT FOR THE REGION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA. MILOŠ MIŠKOVIC TAUGHT APPLIED CARTOGRAPHY AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE IN SARAJEVO AND BANJA LUKA, AND AT THE SAME TIME WAS THE DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE IN SARAJEVO. WORKED AT THE URBANISTIC INSTITUTE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA, FROM WHERE HE RETIRED.

96 SUTJESKA IS A CEMETERY AND A CEMETERY IS A SANCTITY

THE LETTER THAT PROF. DR. PETAR GRGIĆ AND PROF. DR MILOŠ D. MIŠKOVIĆ SENT TO THE MINISTRY FOR SPATIAL PLANNING, CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ECOLOGY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA, ON 8 SEP- TEMBER 2013, AND NEVER GOT A REPLY.

We would hereby like to inform you that we have spent decades on the post of professors of the Faculty of Science in Sarajevo, that we follow the research on the territory of the National park Sutjeska, and hence we have duly read the Spatial plan of the region of special intent of the National park Sutjeska 2011-2031 (draft of the plan) and were concerned about its further destiny. To the number of harmful and unacceptable concessions for small hydro power plants, another five are added in the basin of the legendary Sutjeska in the year of marking the seventy years from the historic battle. In the spring of 1943, around 19000 fighters for the freedom of Yugoslavia were surrounded by six times more numerous enemy in the mountain intersection of the upper courses of Drina, Piva, Tara and Neretva. Bloody battles were fought day and night on around 40 locations from the mid-May to mid-June, with a dramatic end in the basin of Sutjeska and breakthrough of the stranglehold on Balinovac toward the north on 10 June. Around 8000 fighters and wounded persons lost their lives heroically at the prime time of their youth, aged 22 on average. Sutjeska was etched into our souls and hearts, songs and history, and hence was proclaimed

97 RIVER SUTJESKA

SUTJESKA WAS ETCHED INTO OUR SOULS, SONGS AND HISTORY, AND HENCE WAS PROCLAIMED A MONUMENT OF TWOFOLD VALUE - HISTORICAL MEMORY AND NATURE - IN A UNIQUE PART OF THE DINARIDES.

98 99 a monument of twofold value – historical memory and Starting from the Spatial plan of the Republic of Srpska nature - in the unique part of the Dinarides. Ever since then until 2015 as the principal document for the assessment the power of the watercourse of Sutjeska and the tributaries of the draft of this Plan and other significant documents of its basin is not expressed in megawatts and money, but (the Laws on National Parks, the Law on the National park in moral, pedagogical and scientific measures. One of the Sutjeska, the Law on Nature Protection, the Law on Environ- people who stayed on eternal watch in the basin of Sutjeska, ment Protection), a methodologically appropriate approach a huge Yugoslavian cemetery, with his co-fighters was Ivan to the object of planning of such complexity and the relevant Goran Kovačić, the writer of the famous poem Jama (Pit). solutions that are expected, we regret the fact that we do not When he was in the 24th year of his short life of thirty years suggest the offered draft of the Spatial plan of special intent (1937), he indicated via a covenant poem My grave, sadly of the NP Sutjeska 2011-2031 to be adopted, but that it is and like a visionary, the place of his eternal residence: reviewed in detail and then finished. Let it be allowed to point out the following: LET THE BROWN MOUNTAIN BE MY GRAVE 1. An inadequate preparation of the developers of the MOUND, AND OVER IT THE HOWL OF WOLF, draft of the Plan for the region of special intent can eas- AND THE BLACK BOUGHS SOUND, ily be seen in the lack of knowledge about nature and the history of the territory envisaged by the plan, hence there ensued unacceptable oversights in the offered draft (unique ETERNAL WHIRLWIND IN THE SUMMER, HIGH ecosystems, cultural-historical facilities, the locations of SNOW IN THE WINTER, THE TROUBLE OF MY significant events). PIT, AN INACCESSIBLE HILL. 2. The developers suggest regions with different regime of protection of the I, II, or III degree in the area of NP LET IT STAND TALL, LIKE A CLOUD AND THRONE, Sutjeska: however, no authors or referent ecological institu- tions responsible for such solutions are mentioned. Is it the SO AS NOT BE REACHED BY LOWER TOWER’S case that the same experts suggest both the measures of TONE, protection and the setting up of small hydro power plants in the National park Sutjeska? THAT THE VOICE OF REGRET DOES NOT REACH 3. It is inconceivable and incompatible with the status of IT, THE FEAR OF CONVERTS, THE PRAYER FOR a national park that the construction of any kinds of facili- SALVATION. ties, especially energetic, should be planned in its region, particularly in the protected zones. The absurd is all the greater due to the fact that this is recommended in the NP LET IT BURST IN GRASS, NEXT TO THORNY Sutjeska on the main and most important water courses BUSH, NO ROAD SHALL LEAD TO IT, (Hrčavka, Jabušnica and Sutjeska), which would be turned UNBREAKABLE, AND STEEP. into the pipelines and feed a dozen of SHPPs and a big one - HPP Sutjeska - and all with the aim of a safer “twofold NO ONE TO COME BUT A FRIEND DEAR, charging of the region of NP Sutjeska” with electrical energy! Such arguments are also defended by the findings of AND WHEN HE COMES BACK, the study that there ’’won’t be any kind of negative impact on LET HIM OVERCOME THE FEAR. the environment”! And what we have here is the impact on the loss of watercourse for the natural ecosystems, in which It is confirmed that art does its job in the hard times for the water is the main ecological factor; it would be good for the people. The messages of these lines should be respect- the competent ministries to finally assess which law should ed and Sutjeska and Hrčavka ought to be left to roar their be applied in a certain situation and region! symphony eternally in the natural scene of The Dinarides as 4. The spatial plan for NP Sutjeska, which advocates in 1943, the time of fearless battles. a whole series of energetic interventions, fatal for the

100 ecosystems of the Park, does not raise in any place a very Paragraph 2 of the Law on National Parks on this occasion important question of respecting the criteria of IUCN and too (the “Official Gazette of RS”, no. 75/10) and satisfied consultations with Europarc Federation, NP Sutjeska be- the demands and desires of the concession holders for the ing an old member which might be left without the status construction of small hydro power plants on the courses of of a national park with such construction of the planned Hrčavka, Sutjeska, and tomorrow even Jabučnica. Is the NP energetic interventions. Does the Ministry have this situation Sutjeska already not sufficiently endangered by the future in mind? construction of HPP Sutjeska? We can use this opportunity 5. The spatial plan until 2015 is extremely rarely to ask another question: For how long will the Ministry for mentioned through the whole text of the Spatial plan, even spatial planning, civil engineering and ecology “be meeting” though the “increase in the percentage of protected natural the demands and new concessions of energy providers? By areas on the whole of BiH…” is in principal advocated. But the way, does the question of the revision of the policy in the Spatial plan of RS until 2015 envisages the extension the energetic sector of Republic of Srpska and its reduction of the NP Sutjeska for another 43000 hectares, and this is into more realistic frameworks not impose itself, due to the nowhere mentioned in this Plan. The same holds for the environment, and especially after the latest experiences with founding of 9 new NPs on the territory of RS. What does the investments! such an attitude towards the Spatial plan of RS mean? Please accept our expressions of respect and kind Neglection, ignorance, disrespect? What do these key docu- regards! ments actually mean to us, if, though passed by the highest authorities and in long-term sense, the competent state institutions, ministries, etc. do not respect them because they have some new conceptions! That is why instead of extension of NP Sutjeska in the new Law on NP Sutjeska we find the datum that its surface amounts to 16052 hectares, which is by a thousand hectares less in relation to earlier data, 17250 hectares, established at its founding, 50 years ago! No explanation is given for this loss of area, and as you can imagine, there is no word about the increase of the NP Sutjeska’s area! 6. The plan recommends the Guidelines for the scientific- research work in one of its chapters. Even from this chapter it can be seen that due to the lack of knowledge of the issue at stake, the authors recommend that which is familiar and researched. 7. All the chapters of the Spatial plan of special intent, especially G and D, are characterized by too big a scope and unnecessary repetition, which only increases the load of the text, whereby many of the planned and recommended activities, for example, in the sphere of trade, tourism and catering are in the area of unreal. 8. Ecological terminology is missing throughout the whole text of the Plan, as has been referred to in previous objections, and there are attempts to compensate for this by the use of phrases and constructions of biological “origin”. 9. The damage will be irreversible and the act irrespon- sible if the competent minister for ecology applies Article 11,

101 zivko Rapaic Bachelor of Forestry and Master of Biology in the area of breeding and pathology of wild animals

COMPLETED THE FACULTY OF FORESTRY IN ZAGREB IN 1952 AND DID THE MASTERS’ DEGREE IN 1962 AT THE FACULTY OF VETERINARY IN BELGRADE. WORKED ON THE POSTS OF THE HEAD OF FOREST MANAGEMENT IN GORAŽDE, OFFICER FOR HUNTING AT THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE FORESTRY OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF SRBIH IN SARAJEVO, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR IN THE HUNTING MANAGEMENT “SARAJEVO”, EXPERT ADVISOR IN THE HUNTING MANAGEMENT “SARAJEVO” AND ASSOCIATE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND WATER MANAGEMENT OF BIH AND REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA. LECTURED AND TAUGHT AT THE FACULTY OF FORESTRY IN SARAJEVO, AGRICULTURAL FACULTY IN OSIJEK AND FACULTY OF FORESTRY IN BANJA LUKA.

102 THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA: LABORATORY IN NATURE

The National park Sutjeska contains the real wealth of natural diversities. I dare to say at the beginning: what is there is the best that nature can offer in our region – convinced that I am not mistaken! In an attempt to briefly explain the above said, I emphasize the following: the terrain configuration is violently rippled, terrain expositions are various, slopes as well, green pastures, debris and forests and naked rocks alternate in an eye-pleasing manner. There are numerous springs that provide alimony to clear mountain courses which, again, naughtily hop on steep beds to the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka, which, rush to meet Drina via cut-in canyons, clear and sometimes tempestuous. There are also various climate zones, which together with the soil of different pedological compositions and exposition influence the creation and existence of numerous plant and animal communities. In a single word, a natural laboratory: open to all the natural sciences. All this is still preserved in its original form, despite human activity. It has been disturbed to the extent it was necessary to “pass along” the necessary communication through this beautiful region and build facilities that should contribute to a better protection of the region and conservation of the plant and animal world, as well as the use – aligned with the general principles which hold for thus important regions.

103 “ŠARKA” (VIPERA BERUS BOSNIENSIS)

THE CONSTRUCTION OF HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE PROTECTED ZONE COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN NATURE AND CERTAINLY CAUSE THE LOSS OF THE STATUS OF A NATIONAL PARK, WHICH, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, WOULD BE A HUGE MORAL AND MATERIAL LOSS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

104 105 By this brief introduction I wanted to stress the unique- and Zelengora in the total area of 43227 hectares, which is ness of the natural contents of the region within the borders considerably bigger than the present area of the National of the National park Sutjeska and the need to preserve park, which is fully included. The remaining area of earlier the primeval natural ambience in it, in order to meet the protection was considerably extended and kept the status of demanding international criteria and maintain the awarded a Special hunting ground “Zelengora” and represents a wider status for this kind of protection. Only in those circum- protective band (which is also under the management of the stances would its contents continue to serve for scientific National park Sutjeska). observations and allowed activities in the use with an end to On one part of the Special hunting ground “Zelengora”, creating, because such a status, purpose and total devel- the first need for protecting the area under forests was per- opmental process are seriously threatened by the plans for ceived at the end of the thirties of the last century. The pro- the construction of hydro power plants in the region of the tection was initiated by a report made by a group of forestry National park Sutjeska, since they stand in contradiction engineers who had been performing under the leadership of to the existing criteria of IUCN (International Union for the engineer Nikola Eić the tasks of forest arrangement, and on Conservation of Nature) for national parks, owing to which that occasion elements of primeval forest were identified in the National park Sutjeska would lose the status worthy of the area of the basin of the mountain brook Perućica. At the respect that it gained in the past. same time, they made the proposal that this basin should In order for this not to happen, before the definitive deci- be permanently protected due to its exceptional nature and sion is made, it is necessary to remind ourselves once again significance for science. to the history of protection, attained affirmation, the results The war events and post-war renewals deferred the of expert and scientific works and the recommendations of procedure in accordance with the given proposition all the esteemed experts for a future development of the regions way until 17 May 1952, when the basin of the brook Perućica they have come to in their works. was separated by means of the Decision passed by the The area of the National park in the region of the moun- Government of NRBiH from the regular forest manage- tain massifs of Zelengora, Maglić and Volujak contain the ment as a “forest object necessary for scientific research real wealth of natural diversities. It is conditioned by geo- and teaching”, in the area of 1234 hectares, proclaiming graphical location, geologic medium, geomorphologic and it permanently protected at the same time. Later on, via pedologic processes, a high relative altitude – over 1300 m the decision of the National institute for the protection of (from 464 m at the confluence of Sutjeska and Drina to 2386 cultural monuments and natural rarities from 3 June 1954, m on the top of Maglić), developed configuration and various the protected area of the primeval forest was extended for terrain expositions, and associated with that, various climate another 200 hectares of non-forest areas (above the upper zones, all of which has influenced the formation of vari- border of the forest to the top of Maglić, 2386 m), covered ous vegetation communities and the creation of favourable in high-mountain vegetation, so that the area officially put habitat conditions for the survival and successful number of under the permanent protection amounts to 1434 hectares. animal species. This decision remains in full effect to date. The first research of the natural phenomena undertaken The next step towards a better protection of this area on the territory of BiH in the period of Austro-Hungarian rule ensued in 1965 when the General Assembly of SRBiH passed indicated that this region has significant natural specificities the Law on Proclamation of the area of Sutjeska a National and revealed the need to protect some of them in particular, park on the area of 17250 hectares (the “Official Gazette through the measure of the proclamation of a “protected of SRBiH”, no. 15/65, with changes in numbers 32/73 and area” (“Wild-Schongebit“).The motive in this concrete case 3/78). The reasons for passing this law were the already was the following: the conservation of exceptional habitats mentioned and introduced-into-practice measures, all for of rare and endangered species of wild animals, and it was the sake of protection of natural values of the area and the realized by establishing six “Protected areas for wild ani- historical events that happened on this area during World mals” in the far 1893, among which there was the “Protected War II. area V” that included parts of the area of Volujak, Maglić The practice of protection of this region was continued

106 even in the course of unfortunate events in the nineties when National park Sutjeska was a polygon for researching the the Government of the Republic of Srpska considered the state of living nature, as well as the area of conservation state of the park in May 1994, and organized an adequate and protection of numerous important natural monuments service of protection that tended to contribute to the total and rarities of Dinaric mountains according to the proposals protection of the area and a gradual renewal in terms of of eminent local and international scientists, and especially number of wild animals. The first post-war Law on National the area of the Europe’s biggest primeval forest Perućica. parks was passed in the General Assembly of the Republic Part of their research was presented in 1969 in a Special of Srpska in 1996, according to which the National park edition of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Sutjeska kept its original borders and area. Herzegovina, while all the obtained results of these works And it was so until the passing of the new Law on Nation- were also other basis for new research works of experts in al parks, adopted in the General assembly of the Republic of the area of natural sciences. Srpska in 2010, which brought some changes. It meant that All those who will be deciding on the preservation of this the purpose and borders of the National park Sutjeska that internationally recognized gem have to know that the Repub- were established earlier were kept, but provisions of Article lic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina should be proud 11, Paragraph 2 entered a new provision that runs as fol- and honoured to have in the National park a preserved and lows: “Exceptionally, construction of energetic facilities can permanently protected part of the primeval nature with clear be allowed, if they are of interest for the Republic of Srpska, international recognition for the results achieved so far, but with the prior agreement by the Government”, even though also the obligation to justify the deserved award by further this is in contradiction with the provision from the same work with the existing international criteria, to the benefit Article in Paragraph 1, which runs as follows: “On the terri- and satisfaction of all, from our country and the world, who tory of the national park it is forbidden to: d) build energetic will be able to use it in scientific or other purposes. facilities and execute other works, except for the needs of the national park”, so it was used for issuing licenses for the The construction of the projected hydro power plants, development of plans on the construction of hydro power access roads and the laying of the power lines in the Park plants on the region of the park, despite it being obvious that zone, would be to diverge from the international criteria the construction of such hydro power plants is not within the for national parks, because it would generate enormous framework of needs of the National park Sutjeska. changes in nature. There would ensue unavoidable forest cutting and changes of the up to now (natural) landscape, WHY SHOULD THE CONSTRUCTION OF then it would condition changes of the up to now climate conditions, influence the existing hydrologic conditions by HYDRO POWER PLANTS BE PREVENTED? drastic changes in all the watercourses and lead to inevi- table changes in plant communities and animal world. We stress that the issuance of the license for the con- All the above stated is more than enough to under- struction of hydro power plants would be in contradiction stand the consequences which are incompatible with clear both to the provisions of the new Law and the valid criteria obligations on the protection of the natural heritage and of IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) maintenance of ecological stability of the protected zone for the national parks. The construction of hydro power by international criteria for national parks, hence it is quite plants in the protected zone would cause serious changes in certain that we can expect the loss of a valuable status, if nature and absolutely certainly lead to the loss of the status the construction of hydro power plants is allowed. of the national park, which, without a doubt, would be a huge moral and material loss for the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially for the researchers in the area of sciences and numerous persons interested in the beauty and value of primeval nature. From the moment of its establishment, the region of the

107 SUTJESKA’S BELLFLOWER (EDRAIANTHUS SUTJESKAE)

STENO-ENDEMIC SPECIES OF THE CANYON OF SUTJESKA, PROTECTED AND ENDANGERED PLANT. IT WAS DISCOVERED BY PROFESSOR RADOMIR LAKUŠIĆ ON LIMESTONE CLIFFS OF VRATAR (LOCUS CLASSICUS), WHERE IT INHABITS ROCK CRACKS AND CAVELETS. TOGETHER WITH OTHER ENDEMIC SPECIES IT BUILDS THE ENDEMIC COMMUNITY EDRAIANTHO-DAPHNEETUM MALYANAE LAKUŠIĆ ET ŠILIĆ 1969.

108 109 Saša Kunovac Faculty of Forestry in Sarajevo

SAŠA KUNOVAC WAS BORN IN DONJI VAKUF WHERE HE FINISHED HIS PRIMARY EDUCATION, WHILE HE COMPLETED SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BUGOJNO. HE GRADUATED FROM THE FACULTY OF FORESTRY IN SARAJEVO IN 1999, WHEN HE WAS ELECTED AS ASSISTANT TO THE SUBJECT “HUNTING”. HE GAINED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN 2004. HE IS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED BY THE FACULTY OF FORESTRY IN SARAJEVO, DEPARTMENT OF PROTECTION OF FORESTS AND URBAN GREENERY AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.

110 AN ATTEMPT OF DESTRUCTION OF THE LAST OASIS OF PRIMEVAL NATURE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Allow me to present my opinion in the following text as well as my attitude to the construction of hydro power plants in the area of the National Park Sutjeska, which is the oldest protected area in the country and the region, enjoying this status from the year 1893, and/or for the period of 120 years. During the period of 120 years, the area of the National Park Sutjeska has been under the impact of numerous changes in the social system, wars, establishment of new states and all other accompanying phenomena, but it has always kept its “special” status, thanks to which it has avoided destruction and degradation of habitats of many plant and animal species, which are unique species not only in these areas, but also in the entire world.

111 ROE DEER (CAPREOLUS CAPREOLUS)

CONSTRUCTION OF HYDRO POWER PLANTS WOULD HAVE A MORE EXTENSIVE INFLUENCE (COMPARED TO MINIMAL ONE) ON THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM, WHICH IN FACT REPRESENTS A PYRAMID IN WHICH EACH PART OF IT RELIES ON THE OTHER ONE, SO THAT DAMAGING, REMOVING OR ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THESE PARTS WOULD RESULT IN THE FALL OF THE WHOLE PYRAMID.

112 All the stated periods are characterised by a ruthless the “temporary devastation” of the vegetation will not have exploitation of the nature and natural resources by men, of a more significant impact on the changes in the vegetation course. Besides Zelengora, five more protected areas were structure. established in 1893 (Prenj, Čvrsnica, Kruščica, Hrbljine, The selected locations are found under an extremely sen- Igman-Bjelašnica), which were not of the same luck as sitive thermophilic vegetation, which can be lethally affected the area of the NP Sutjeska, so that nowadays they present even by the smallest microclimate changes. The stated only the remains of what could have been called a protected species of the ichthyofauna, being autochthonous for this area. area and belonging to Salmonidae, require for their survival The intention to construct hydro power plants in the area a free flow due to reproduction – spawning, hence their loss of the NP Sutjeska is an extremely rude attempt of destruc- cannot be compensated by “stocking” with any other spe- tion of the “last oasis”, a genuine nature, so to say. Allow cies, and the stated species are not even bred artificially. me to remind everyone that the area of the NP Sutjeska The selected locations represent permanent dens for has more plant species that the entire flora of Germany, as bears well as more than 115 species of birds and 68 species of (Ursus arctos L.), which are limited in all the bear habi- mammals, and that it thereby represents a unique natural tats (restricting factor). Besides that, the locations envisaged “laboratory” in which you can see the most diverse types of for the construction of hydro power plants are at the same habitats with the most diverse plant and animal communi- time exceptionally valuable and necessary winter habitats ties on a relatively small area. for the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica Bolkay), It can be established by means of detailed analyses of which represent the only shelter for this species during the the “Environmental Impact Assessment”, which pertain to unfavourable period of the year. the construction of hydro power plants in the NP Sutjeska, The studies also explain how the hydro power plants with all due respect to the knowledge and professions of the will have an impact on the promotion of the tourist offer expert team members that participated in the development and attraction to investors. Do the visitors of any national of the same, that there are no experts for the forest eco- park come there to see hydro power plants, saw-mills or systems in that team, and hence their assessment that the other similar facilities, or they perhaps come to enjoy the “negative impacts on the environment, water regime, flora beauties of the national parks? I have never heard of such and fauna will be minimal” can in no way be acknowledged. a thing! Certainly, by such and similar action we will attract In the text of the studies, a change in the Spatial plan in investors, however, not to invest in a “sustainable use of favour of the hydro power plants as well as a change to the the natural potentials”, but to take money. Let us not fool zone of protection of the selected locations for the construc- ourselves – they will not come here because they know the tion (we remind you that the same are found in Zone I) are values of the NP Sutjeska, but because any kind of similar directly suggested, and it is even stated that the selected activities are strictly prohibited in their countries, so they locations are found in the planned zone of expansion of the are looking for ways to make money in these, our, “third” (or NP, which is a contradiction that we simply cannot explain. perhaps it is better to say “fifth” or “tenth”) countries, given The construction of hydro power plants will have far that in other countries both the people and the institutions more-reaching consequences (in relation to the minimal relate extremely carefully toward the natural values, ap- ones) to the whole ecosystem, which in fact represents a preciating, respecting and keeping them, not offering them pyramid in which every single part relies on another one, so for sale like we do. that any kind of damage, removal or change in these parts If only we started to relate towards our natural resources will lead to the fall of the whole pyramid. the way they deserve, that is, if only our greatest values It can be clearly seen from the study that the said facili- came first, we would earn respect and build reputation in ties will take about 50.000 m2 of space, that is, 5 hectares. the whole world, and make a slight move forward in the at- It is not clear to us how it is possible to implement all the tempts to make others not see us (not without a good cause) stated civil engineering measures on such a big space, with- as the Balkan savages. out cutting and destroying the vegetation, as well as how

113 Nedim Jukic Amateur Mycological Association

ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE AMATEUR MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION AND THE CHIEF EDITOR OF THE WEB PAGE WWW.MYCOBH.COM. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH E-MAGAZINE ON FUNGI IN MYCOLOGY “FUNGIMANIA”. HE TAKES PART AND INITIATES FUNGI RESEARCH FUNGI THROUGHOUT BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

114 THE FUNGI OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA

The world of fungi in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been on the margins of the scientific-research undertakings and projects, through the history and today, whereas serious systematic research and inventories of certain areas are a real rarity. At the same time, it is ungrateful to make an estimate on the total diversity of fungi on the area of our country, but it is certain that Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the richest countries of the Southeast Europe in this respect, due to its natural geologic whole, characteristics, as well as climate factors. We can find scientifically valorised data on the fructiferous species in our region primarily in the work of a couple of scientists, such as Focht I.: Gljive Jugoslavije, Beograd: Nolit, 1979; Ključ za gljive, Zagreb: Naprijed, 1986; Naši vrganji, Zagreb: Znanje, 1987; (English: The Fungi of Yugoslavia; Key for Fungi; Our Edible Boletes) and Usčuplić M.: Svijet gljiva, Akademija nauka I umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine, 2004; Više gljive – Macromycetes, Akademija nauka i umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine, 2012 (English: The World of Fungi; Higher Fungi – Macromycetes). Besides the above stated, the recent period has witnessed stronger contribu- tion by individual enthusiasts, who, gathered in different organizations, have been conducting valuable research for a number of years, thus making an invaluable contribution in the present times to a better knowledge of the micro flora of our regions. The fact stated primarily refers to the Association of Mush- room Gatherers and Nature Lovers from Mrkonjić Grad, as well as the Amateur Mycological Association from Sarajevo, in whose structure I participate as well. When it comes to serious works that use scientific methods in dealing with the topic of the fungi from the region of the NP Sutjeska, I have not been able to find any results. For this reason, everything stated below gains even greater importance.

115 Within this year’s research and inventory of ascomyce- A series of species have been recorded only on several tes (the most numerous class of fungi) on the territory of locations on the river Hrčavka, and this indicates that there the NP Sutjeska, in a relatively short time we sampled and are extremely valuable habitats next to the watercourse that determined a significant number of species that require would be directly afflicted by the construction of the planned more significant presence of moisture within their habitats, hydro power plants. but are also conditioned in a certain way by mild changes in If we try to reduce our efforts to conserve the gem of the the level of the watercourse of the streams whose beds they NP Sutjeska to a couple of statements, it would not be bad inhabit. to write down that the species that were the subject of our All of these species are limited within the correspond- research, that is, ascomycetes inhabiting the river banks ing ecological valences by certain, regular oscillations in and alluvial sandy soils of the local character and small the natural changes of the water level of rivers and brooks dimensions, would sustain what might be the biggest impact due to the amount of precipitation, and they either inhabit factor by the construction of the mentioned hydro power sandy habitats next to the very water, or find as a substrate plants. The majority of their habitats would be permanently the decaying and herbaceous plant remainings that are oc- destroyed, dried up or flooded owing to sudden changes in casionally flooded by water. the water level, while their numbers and diversity would As it has already been said, some really rare findings probably be irretrievably reduced and lost. were recorded in the course of our explorations. The spe- Pursuant to the results of a relatively short and sporadic cies that is worth singling out is the Peziza polarispinosa J. research, which included a smaller number of the river beds Moravec 1985, a species which is new for the micro flora within the territory of the NP Sutjeska, it can be claimed of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is extremely rare in all responsibly and on solid grounds that this area is a pre- the neighbouring countries in which it has been recorded. cious treasure, oasis and shelter for the unique species of Marcelleina brevicostatispora J. Moravec 1971 was recorded ascomycetes conditioned by watercourses. The final results on the river Sutjeska in August 2014, and this species had and the inventory of species after the preliminary researches only been registered in our country by the Czech mycologist unambiguously indicate that systematic research has to be Jiří Moravec1 in the surroundings of Sarajevo in 1969, and conducted in the closer future too, in order to obtain more certainly represents a potential candidate for the Red list of relevant facts regarding the diversity of fungi in this region, Fungi of Bosnia and Herzegovina. as well as in order to single out a list with all the potentially Apart from the two stated species, it is certainly worth endangered species with the aim of their adequate and singling out the following recorded species: Parascutellinia timely conservation. violacea (Velen.) Svrček 1975 (so far registered only on the I truly hope that the species we recorded and stored in mountain Visočica2, and having the status of being critically the fungarium of our association will not just remain there endangered in the Czech Republic) as well as Peziza gerardii for the sake of memories of some better times when they Cooke 1875, which had previously only been recorded on a were able to find shelter freely in the beds of the cold moun- single location of the Nišićka plateau (the status of endan- tain beauties of Sutjeska and Hrčavka, and when, bathed in gered species in Germany and Great Britain)3. the morning drops of dew, they were able to bear fruits and Besides the members of the class of Ascomycetes, which develop tiny fructiferous bodies, illuminated from time to were the subject of our research, we also recorded the spe- time by the rays of sun, but that in the coming period we will cies Entoloma dysthales (Peck) Sacc. 1891 (Basidiomycetes), work on adequate measures of protection both of the exist- which has been registered on our region for the first time. ing and newly found treasures of the NP Sutjeska.

1 Jiří Moravec – Some operculate Discomycetes from the park Ilidža near Sarajevo (Jugoslavia), Češka Mykologie 1971 (25) 4: 197-202. 2 Amateur Mycological Association – Rare and endangered fungi of the Sarajevo Canton (prevention and protection), Kaligraf, Sarajevo 2011. 3 http://www.wsl.ch/eccf/ - European Council for the Conservation of Fungi (ECCF), Compiled European red-list, 12.12.2014. godine

116 PEZIZA GERARDII

A SERIES OF FUNGI SPECIES HAVE BEEN RECORDED ON ONLY SEVERAL LOCATIONS ON THE RIVER HRČAVKA, WHICH INDICATES THAT THERE ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE HABITATS NEXT TO THE WATERCOURSE THAT WOULD DIRECTLY AFFLICTED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANNED HYDRO POWER PLANTS.

117 Jelena Kadic Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture Engineering

JELENA HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE TASKS OF THE NATURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION SINCE 1991. AS A MEMBER OF WORK TEAMS, JELENA HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS IN THE AREA OF NATURE PROTECTION: THE SPATIAL PLAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA UNTIL 2015, NEAP, THE STRATEGY OF THE NATURE PROTECTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA; A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE SPATIAL PLANNING OF THE AREA OF SPECIAL INTENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SUTJESKA (IN THE SESSION IN WHICH THE DRAFT OF THAT DOCUMENT WAS CONSIDERED SHE ABSTAINED DUE TO DISAGREEMENT WITH THE OFFERED PLANNED SOLUTIONS - HYDRO POWER PLANTS).

118 SUTJESKA - A GEM ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT

The Law on Nature Protection applies the international IUCN classification of the natural resources / the Instruction Manual for the Application of the Catego- ries of Management over the Protected Natural Goods / IUCN World Commission for the Protected Areas, the Europarc Federation in cooperation with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) / – which defines the national park as the natural area of land or sea, determined in order to protect the ecological wholeness of one or more ecosystems for the present and future generations, disable exploitation or other harmful activities, secure the fundamental spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor (touristic, Institutional) purposes that have to be in accordance with the principles of the environment protection. This same definition determines the aims of management: • the protection of the natural and scenic values of the entity as well as international importance for the spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and touristic purposes; • maintenance of the representative examples of physiogeographic regions, biotic communities, genetic resources in the most natural state possible, as well as the maintenance of the ecological stability and diversity; • inspirational, educational, cultural and recreational uses at the level which maintains the area in the natural or a close-to-natural state; • the removal or prevention of exploitation and activities that are contradicto- ry to the purpose of the area protection (this also pertains to the area where the land had been used before the proclamation of protection, and which is handed over to the natural succession after the protection); • the maintenance of ecological, geomorphologic, sacral and aesthetic char- acteristics due to which the area is protected in the first place.

119 VOLUJAK AND THE UPPER VALLEY OF SUTJESKA

I FIND IT NECESSARY TO SEEK THE OPINION ON THE OFFERED DOCUMENTS FROM A COMPETENT AND ACCREDITED SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION, AS WELL AS FROM LEGAL EXPERTS.

120 Pursuant to Article 38 of the Law on Nature Protection hydro-geographic and geomorphologic and geologic charac- and Article 57 of the Law on Republican Administration, the teristics of the area, Republican Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical • worsen the quality of waters, change their quantity, and Natural Heritage approached the task of determining spatial and time schedule, the regime and zones of the protection of the National park • can lead to the cutting down or destruction of woods, Sutjeska, at the request of the Plan developer and with the bushes and other vegetation, besides the sanitary cuttings, help of the experts from the Faculty of Forestry from Banja • can lead to the depositing of the construction or other Luka, in such a manner as to preserve the most important waste, natural and cultural-historical values of the area. All the • can destroy nature, that is, can endanger the features available research literature and the documents of the Na- of the national park. tional park that had been valid for the previous period were Apart from that, the National park Sutjeska was pro- used in the development of the plan, namely the following: posed for the Tentative list for the Nomination of the Dinaric • The Spatial Plan of a Special Intent of the NP Sutjeska rubble for being entered onto the UNESCO’s list of the world 1986 – 2006; heritage. It is certain that the realization of the project of • The Forest-Economic Basis of the NP Sutjeska, 1985; the construction of small hydro power plants would bring • The Management Plan for the NP Sutjeska 2002 – this status into question, and the same would hold for the 2012. membership of the NP Sutjeska in the Europarc Federation, The fact that none of the mentioned documents planned and probably the very status of Sutjeska as a national park. the construction of small hydro power plants as forms of The proposal did not acknowledge the following aims of using the resources on the area of the Park was borne in the terms of reference: mind in the course of determining the zones of protection of • the development of the plan in the present and ex- the National park Sutjeska; nor did the draft of the Plan for panded borders (expansion borders were not defined), NP Sutjeska, which the National Assembly of the Republic • the alignment of the plan with the documents develop- of Srpska adopted at the 27th session held on 30 May 2013, ment of which is in progress (the Amendment of the Spatial plan the construction of small facilities of the hydro power Plan of the Republic of Srpska) plants. • meeting the requirements for the establishment of the In accordance with the above stated, the zoning that the trans-boundary protected area Durmitor – Tara Canyon – Institute had previously delivered secures to the greatest Sutjeska. extent possible the preservation of the natural and cultural- historical values due to which the area was proclaimed * * * protected in the category of the national park. This zoning proposal was not accepted, whereby no explanation was What was offered in the Proposal can have far-reaching given for this decision. negative consequences to the status of the NP Sutjeska, The Proposal of the Spatial Plan for the Area of Special which has been protected since the middle of the last cen- Intent for the National park Sutjeska, which was once again tury and represents a real gem on the European continent, submitted to the Institute for the sake of consolidation, con- owing to which it is a very important member of all the tains the zoning made by the Investor that was awarded the world and European associations. concessions for the construction of the small hydro power Therefore, I find it necessary to seek the opinion on the plants. However, the Institute did not agree with the zoning, offered documents from a competent and accredited scien- given that the construction of small hydro power plants is in tific institution, as well as from legal experts. contradiction with the provisions of Article 9, 10, and 11 of Likewise, I find it necessary to embed into the proce- the Law on National Parks, which prohibit the activities that: dure of concession awards a prior opinion of the protection • endanger in the majority of cases the balance between services, since in that way we would avoid the situations of the plant and animal world, natural habitats, cultural and the kind we find ourselves in today. landscape value, while jeopardizing in all the cases the

121 Jelena Duknic Institute for Biological Research „Siniša Stankovic“, Belgrade

STUDENT OF THE SECOND YEAR OF DOCTORAL STUDIES IN BELGRADE, MODULE: ENTOMOLOGY, FACULTY OF BIOLOGY; A RESEARCH INTERN AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HYDROECOLOGY AND THE PROTECTION OF LAND WATERS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH “SINIŠA STANKOVIĆ”, BELGRADE.

122 MACROZOOBENTHOS OF THE RIVERS SUTJESKA AND HRČAVKA

During the month of August 2014, a research into the macrozoobenthos in the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka was conducted. The research implied samples collection, determination and materials processing. Several extremely rare species for the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina were recorded. On the basis of the processed materials, it can be safely said that Sutjeska and Hrčavka belong to the first class waters in terms of quality, with a huge species diversity of the macrozobenthos. The aim of the research was to make a list of invertebrates that inhabit the stated rivers, that is, of the species that require cold and fast water for their habitat. These species would be directly afflicted in terms of the negative consequences that would be brought about by the construction of hydro power plants on Sutjeska and Hrčavka. The said construction would lead to changes in the substrate, quantity and temperature of the water, as well as to an increased quantity of the organic load. The change in the environmental conditions would cause changes in the composition of the communities living there, above all the macrozoobenthos. Many species would disappear.

123 THE CANYON OF THE RIVER HRČAVKA

ON THE BASIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH THAT WAS CONDUCTED ON A RELATIVELY SMALL AREA IN AUGUST 2014, IT CAN BE STATED THAT THE RIVERS SUTJESKA AND HRČAVKA REPRESENT A VERY IMPORTANT HABITAT WHEN IT COMES TO MACROINVERTEBRATES IN THE REGION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

124 125 Running waters are characterized by the movement of avoid pollution. It is owing to this characteristic of theirs that the whole water mass from the source towards the conflu- the impact of pollution in an area can be monitored. ence, under the influence of the force of gravity and the The Balkan Peninsula is considered one of the biodi- slope of the terrain, with an intermittent water mixing. This versity centres of Europe and the West Palaearctic, and movement and water mixing balances the abiotic ecological is characterized by a huge heterogeneity and diversity of factors along the vertical profile of the river, above all the aquatic ecosystems. fast-running mountain brooks. It is precisely due to these Because of the invaluable importance it is necessary to reasons that the presence of a certain type of biocenosis explore the greatest number of areas possible. (communities) is inextricably tied to concrete conditions Many areas, including the mountain aquatic ecosystems, prevailing in the mountain rivers and brooks. The composi- still have not been sufficiently researched. The springs and tion, spatial and time dynamics of the biocenosis is also sources are refugiums to many groups of invertebrates. The affected by a complex of abiotic factors, pronounced through brooks that flow off them represent (micro)habitats with hydromorphologic and physical-chemical features of water specific features, which are at the same time inhabited by habitats. These imply the following: longitude and latitude, various groups of organisms. altitude, the slope of the terrain, the speed of flow, water The National park Sutjeska in the Republic of Srpska is regime, type of medium, amount of light, water temperature, rich in springs, brooks and rivers, hence the hydroecologi- the concentration of dissolved salts and gases, pH… cal analysis of the rivers Sutjeska, Perućica and Hrčavka With the development of the society, watercourses get shall give new information on the biodiversity of the aquatic exposed to anthropogenic factor, which is all the more inten- biotope, while the ecological researches into such areas will sive due to the exponential growth of the human population, provide the data on the water quality, determine the sources faster urbanization and industrialization, and climate change. of pollution, make a cadastre of pollutant, as well as create Through his activity, man has changed and destroyed a large case studies and protection measures. The subject of this number of watercourses, the consequences of which are research were mainly the members of the macrozooben- felt at the local, regional and global level. The erosion of the thos, which require for their habitat precisely these kinds of ecosystem equilibrium leads to changes in the composition watercourses with huge quantities of fast water, as well as and structure of biocenoses. Those changes most often re- the stony and sandy substrate. sult in the fall of the diversity. What happens is that species In the course of exploration of the fauna of Hrčavka and whose ecological valences have a range that does not corre- Sutjeska’s bottoms, in August 2014, a total of 53 taxons spond to the changed ecological factors of the environment from 14 taxonomic groups were collected. Out of these 53 become extinct. Due to the existence of a vacant ecological taxons, 21 were determined up to the level of species, 21 niche, the number of individual species that are resistant taxons to the level of genus, 8 taxons to the level of family, to the newly created conditions suddenly increases; and it while the individual specimens of 3 taxons within the family is precisely due to the specificity of each organism in the of Coleoptera, suborder Hydracarina and subclass Oligo- sense of inhabiting a certain ecological niche that many chaeta were not determined. aquatic organisms can be used as bioindicators of the state The presence of 13 groups of macrozoobenthos was of aquatic biotopes, which, in turn, can serve the purpose of detected in the river Hrčavka, while the presence of 11 biomonitoring of the surface waters. groups was identified in Sutjeska. If the number of taxons Macrozoobenthos is an ecological group of organisms present within the groups is observed, it can be noticed that that spend the greater part or their life cycle at the bottom Ephemeroptera, of the water ecosystems. The long life cycle of the macroin- Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera are vertebrates gives them an advantage over the benthos algae more diverse, whereby their diversity is somewhat lower in the monitoring process, because all the changes can be in the river Sutjeska. Given that the river Hrčavka is the tracked over the course of a longer time period. Similarly, left tributary of the river Sutjeska, it is assumed that some they acquire an advantage over the fish by low mobility, as taxons that are present in Hrčavka and were not detected well as by sedentariness, and ipso facto the impossibility to in Sutjeska, can, in fact, be found in Sutjeska as well. That

126 is why it is necessary to extend the research to the whole observed. Almost all of those species require fast and tor- watercourse of Sutjeska. On the other hand, the orography rential brooks, conditioned by huge quantities of precipita- of the canyon of Hrčavka is so specific that it represents the tion and a steep slope of the terrain. Likewise, they require refugiums to rare and relict species which can only be found an adequate (often lower) temperature of the water which is on such terrains. Ephemeroptera with its 18,18%, Trichop- constant almost all year long (with minimal fluctuations). tera and Diptera with 15, 09%, respectively, represent the Due to all stated above, it is necessary to undertake dominant groups when it comes to the percentual incidence adequate measures with the aim of timely protection of of the invertebrate groups in the community of Hrčavka. On these rivers. The increase in the water level of Hrčavka and the other hand, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, with 20,69% Sutjeska, followed by sudden retractions of water on certain each, represent the dominant groups in the river Sutjeska. sections of the watercourse, caused by the construction of The incidence of the insect component was higher the hydro power plants, would definitely erode the exist- than 80% in both rivers, whereby the larvae of Plecoptera, ing ecological niches to a large extent. This would lead to Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera were the most incident ones. changes in the physical and chemical composition of the All this points to a very high diversity of these two rivers and water and type of substrate. When it comes to benthos com- the I (first) class in terms of the water quality. munities that inhabit these watercourses, there is no doubt The situation with the percentual partake of taxons in whatsoever that their composition and structure would be the macroinvertebrate groups is somewhat different. Out of changed. The proportions of the negative consequences 513 individuals found in Hrčavka, 131 individuals (25,52%) caused by the construction of the hydro power plants are belong to Chironomidae, which make up a meagre 2.27% of hard to foresee, but what is certain is that the presence of the total sample. Trichoptera with 101 individual specimens certain rare species will be brought into question. (19,69%) come second in the number of taxons, and are followed by Oligochaeta with 67 individuals (13,06%) and Plecoptera with 65 individual specimens (12,67%). Speaking about Sutjeska, 40 individuals (26,32%) out of the total 152 individual specimens belong to the order Plecoptera, and 39 individual specimens (25,66%) fall under the order Trichop- tera, both of which make up 20,69% of the total sample respectively. The majority of the present species are indica- tors of extremely clear waters, which are rich in oxygen. On the basis of the composition of the communities, it can be said that the anthropogenic impact on these two rivers, above all the river Hrčavka, is minimal. The auto-purification power of the rivers by far exceeds the impact man currently has on them. The species noticed during this exploration are tied to specific physical and chemical conditions that prevail here, as well as a specific terrain typology. Some of these species, such as Epeorus yugoslavicus Samal, 1935, are extremely rare. The presence of this species in the canyon of Hrčavka is the first finding of this species for BiH. On the basis of the results of the research that was conducted on a relatively small area in August 2014, it can be stated that the rivers Sutjeska and Hrčavka represent a very important habitat when it comes to the macroinverte- brates in the region of BiH. A huge number of species was

127 CLINOPODIUM THYMIFOLIUM = MICROMERIA THYMIFOLIA

. SUB-ENDEMIC SPECIES OF THE BALKAN PENINSULA WITH THE DISJUNCTION IN HUNGARY. THIS AROMATIC PLANT INHABITS STONY SLOPES AND LIMESTONE ROCKS FROM THE MOUNTAIN TO SUBALPINE REGION OF THE BALKAN MOUNTAINS.

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