Preservation of 13 rivers of Southeastern (SE) Europe, including the Montenegrin Bistrica and Ćehotina, Mrtvica and Morača, the establishment of new protected areas along those rivers, this is, among other things, the goal of the "Together for Rivers" initiative, which was presented yesterday in Karlovac , in Croatia.
From The Nature Conservancy and six partner organizations from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia, they said that in SE Europe there are some of the last wild rivers on the continent, that they are the lifeblood of communities and ecosystems that ensure drinking water. water, support biological diversity and make life possible, but also that today rivers are increasingly endangered due to pollution, habitat destruction, unsustainable development and climate change.
"It is a global problem that has a local solution: since 1970, at the global level, the number of populations of freshwater species has decreased by 83 percent, and we have lost 30 percent of freshwater ecosystems," it was announced at the conference, which gathered journalists from the region. including Montenegrin ones.
Director of the Program for SE Europe organized by The Nature Conservancy Dragana Mileusnić she said that the initiative is based on the belief that "the involvement and empowerment of local communities is key to efficient and permanent protection of rivers".
"We collaborate with numerous actors, including non-governmental organizations, the private sector, local communities and governments, in order to develop unique and long-term solutions for the protection of our rivers," she said.
In addition to the organization The Nature Conservancy, members of the initiative are "Eco-team" from Montenegro, the Center for the Environment, the Association "Dinarica" and the Youth Club "Novi val" from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ecological Association "Rzav" from Serbia and "Eco-awareness". from North Macedonia.
The "Together for Rivers" initiative is actively working to protect 13 rivers in the region, with the aim of encouraging new local initiatives for river protection. Through scientific research and understanding the needs and attitudes of local communities, the initiative, as announced, seeks to ensure the early and transparent involvement of all actors, while respecting the unique natural, social and cultural characteristics of each river.
The rivers included in the initiative, along with Birstrica and Ćehotina in Montenegro, are Veliki Rzav in Serbia, Vrbas, Buna and Neretva in BiH, Zrmanja and Mrežnica in Croatia, Vardar in North Macedonia.
As the initiators said, when protection is established and good management of the protected area is ensured, it will be a direct contribution to fulfilling international obligations.
From the initiative, they said that preserved rivers ensure drinking water, support biological diversity and enable life, and that by protecting rivers, we are investing in a sustainable future.
The hosts in Karlovac talked about the plans for the protection of local waters, specifically the river Mrežnica, which, as reported, has been in the works for 18 years.
Milija Čabarkap from the NGO "Eko-team" reminded that, when it comes to rivers in Montenegro, two separate protection procedures are being conducted for the upper course of Ćehotina, in the territory of the municipalities of Pljevlja and Bijelo Polje, Mrtvica and the upper course of Morača, in the territory of the municipality of Kolasin, and to protect the Bistrica River in the Đalovića Gorge in the municipality of Bijelo Polje.
The regional initiative "Together for Rivers" covers 400 kilometers of rivers in Southeast Europe.
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