Measure I.1 – Improving the productivity and competitiveness of the area’s economic, rural and environmental resources.
Project Title: Greening the management of protected areas in SRB-BiH cross-border region
Project Budget:
| Project Value | EU Contribution | |
| Republic of Serbia | €125,222.13 | €104,685.70 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | €93,370.00 | € 78,057.32 |
| TOTAL | €218,592.13 | €182,743.02 |
Beneficiary of funds in the Republic of Serbia: Nature Conservation Movement of Sremska Mitrovica
Beneficiary of funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Foundation of Local Democracy
Partners: Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Serbia
Ministry of Physical Planning and Environment, Canton Sarajevo BiH
Area of implementation:
- Serbia: Sremski County: Sremska Mitrovica, Šid, Inđija, Irig, Ruma, Pećinci; Mačvanski County: Bogatić, Loznica, Vladimirci, Krupanj, Ljubovija; Zlatiborski County: Bajina Bašta, Užice, Požega, Nova Varoš, Prijepolje, Sjenica; Kolubarski County: Valjevo, Mionica.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo Region and North-East Region: Vogošća, Fojnica, Foča, Ilidža, Stari Grad Sarajevo, Ilijaš, Olovo, Sarajevo Centar
The target groups of the project: NGOs, environmental NGOs, protected area managers, nature conservation institutions, local authorities and relevant ministries, research organisations / researchers, regional/local development agencies,
Project duration: 01.12.2010. – 31.05.2012
Project objectives:
The overall objective:
To foster the role of the Civil Society Organisations in integrated management planning and ecotourism development in nature protected areas within the programme area (BiH-Serbia) as a tool for local and regional sustainable economies development
The specific objectives:
Specific objective 1: To create an Action plan for strengthening the role of environmental NGOs in development of protected areas and sustainable tourism within the programme/border area, in line with relevant strategic documents of Serbia and B&H, related to environmental protection and tourism development.
Specific objective 2: To implement integrated natural resources management and ecotourism development practices in 2 pilot areas in line with relevant international conventions and treaties.
Specific objective 3: To create a network of protected areas and NGOs involved in ecotourism development and nature protection in programme/border area with the purpose of exchanging experience and implementing the Action plan and securing sustainability and follow up of the actions.
Activities and results of the project
The partners established a team of experts for nature protection and ecotourism from both sides of the border. The team assessed the current situation in the cross-border region concerning the area of nature protection, protected areas management and ecotourism development, identified gaps and made recommendations for improvements. The results of the analysis were presented at the opening workshop organised in June 2011 in the Special Nature Reserve ‘Zasavica’ in Sremska Mitrovica. More than 50 representatives of CSOs, nature protected area (NPA) managers, local government and scientific institutions from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina discussed the results of the analysis and presented and exchanged their own experiences.
Based on the analysis and interviews conducted with local citizens, CSO representatives, local government and entrepreneurs in tourism in five municipalities in Serbia and three in Bosnia and Herzegovina, guidelines for ecotourism development in protected areas have been prepared by a multidisciplinary cross-border expert team. The guidelines were presented to the target group at the Mid-Term Workshop in November 2011 in Sremska Mitrovica and an action plan was drafted to overcome the identified gaps and improve the management of natural resources using ecotourism as the driving force for sustainable local and regional development and a way to improve living conditions for the local population.
The Nature Conservation Movement of Sremska Mitrovica is the first NGO to become a manager of a protected natural asset in Serbia (Zasavica) and its experience is used in the project for the development of the same concept in BiH. The Cave of Bijambare was selected as a pilot area for the integrated natural resources management to be implemented and ecotourism development practices applied. The network of CSOs and managers of NPA that has been established will serve as the platform for implementing the action plan. CSOs and NPA managers will cooperate when organising joint activities after the project has been finalised. The main tool for exchange of information and communication within the network and for keeping the network alive in the future is the website www.protectthenature.org with outreach services such as news updates and an e-mail distribution list.
