Measure I.1 – Improving the productivity and competitiveness of the area’s economic, rural, cultural and environmental resources
Project Title: Wise use of common natural resources – road to sustainability of the Serbia/BiH cross-border region
Project Budget:
| Project Value | EU Contribution | |
| Republic of Serbia | € 134.958,35 | € 112.825,18 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | € 121.072,25 | € 101.216,41 |
| TOTAL | € 256.030,60 | € 214.041,59 |
Beneficiary of funds in the Republic of Serbia: Union of Ecologist
Beneficiary of funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Centre for Environmentally Sustainable Development (CESD)
Partners:
- Serbia: Municipalities of Mali Zvornik, and Bogatić
- Municipality of Zvornik, and PUC Directorate for Construction and Development
Area of implementation:
- Serbia: Municipalities of Bogatić, Mali Zvornik, and Ljubovija
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipalities Bijeljina, Zvornik and Bratunac
The target groups of the project: Local authorities in target municipalities that deal with environmental management.
Project duration: 01.12.2012. – 30.11.2014.
Project objectives:
The overall objective:
Overall objective of the Action is to contribute to sustainable development of the Serbia-BiH cross-border region by fostering cooperation and multistakeholder approach in integrated natural resources management in the Drina River Basin.
The specific objectives of the project:
Specific objective 1.To increase capacities of local stakeholders to actively operate in environmental management in cross-border area.
Specific objective 2. To foster cross-border institutional partnerships through developing joint actions for protection and efficient utilization of the regional resources.
Specific objective 3. To increase public awareness and public support for protection and sustainable use of natural resources in the cross – border region.
Activities and results of the project
The Drina River basin in cross border area of two countries is very rich in natural resources. In order to preserve that potential and to be able to use it a joint and long term protection needs to be established.
The project included three municipalities from Serbia (Ljubovija, Mali Zvornik and Bogatić) and three from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bijeljina, Bratunac and Zvornik), in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the cross border area of the two countries. The goal of the project was to increase cooperation and include all the actors into the protection of the joint natural resources and integrated management.
One municipality in the Drina River basin would not be able to solve these problems alone, since what is necessary includes joint, long term, planned and coordinated activities in order to manage natural resources in cross border region.
During the project working groups were formed with local experts and representatives of local community. They have participated in the workshops and trainings on participatory integrated natural resources management planning, analyses of the state of environment and natural resources and public participation. After the education was completed they prepared a study on the state of natural resources. A GIS database was also created as a natural resources management planning tool and DPSIR methodology for assessing local natural resources was used as a base for the key document that was produces within the project – Action plan for the management of the natural resources.
Apart from the experts and local government, citizens and local NGOs had very important role in the project activities with their comments and suggestions provided during total of 9 public debates organized.
