Republika Srpska last and this year declared seven new protected areas and now there are a total of 26 such areas on 32,104 ha, which is 1.3% of the territory of Republika Srpska, Željka Stojičić, a higher expert associate in the Republika Srpska Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology, said on Wednesday in Tjentište.
“The Republika Srpska Government declared the protected habitat Gromiželj in Bijeljina, the Nature’s Park Cicelj in the area of Čajniče, the Nature’s Park Una in Krupa na Uni, Novi Grad, Kostajnica and Kozarska Dubica Municipalities, the protected habitat Tišina in the area of Šamac, the cave Kuk in the area of Kalinovik, nature’s monument ‘Lijevčanski Knez` in Gradiška and the forest park Jelića Brdo in the area of Laktaši Municipality the protected areas,” Stojičić said.
At an event titled the “Day of Managers of Protected Areas in BiH,” she has said that the protected areas will be promoted at the event, noting that this is a very good success and significant progress.
Stojičić has said that a nomination of the virgin forest Janj, which is currently on the BiH’s tentative list, for UNESCO’s Natural Heritage List, will be presented at the event.
“Nomination documents, which will be submitted to the UNESCO Secretariat for consideration in February 2020, are being drafted at the moment,” Stojičić said.
She has said that the National Park Sutjeska, where the event is being held, is the oldest protected area which is characterized by exceptional natural values, and that the special value is the virgin forest Perućica which the Ministry of Spatial Planning, at the proposal of the National Park, nominated for the World Natural Heritage List in 2017.
“The virgin forest Perućica has been on the BiH’s tentative list since 2017, which is particularly important since BiH has not had a single natural good on the UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage List,” Stojičić said.
Director of the National Park Sutjeska Dejan Pavlović has said that this event is very important and it is an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences and implement good practices.
He has said that lectures will be held at the event, and among the main subjects are the promotion of new protected areas, organization of guard services in protected areas, drafting working plans for protected areas, development of tourism, and other current issues facing managers of protected areas.
The “Day of Managers of Protected Areas” event, which started on Wednesday in Tjentište, gathered participants from Slovenia, Croatia, BiH and Serbia, with the aim of discussing current problems in protected areas, opportunities for mutual cooperation, finding solutions, and promoting new protected areas.
This, the third, gathering was organized as part of the project titled “Meeting new protected areas in BiH,” which is being implemented by UNEP in cooperation with the Republika Srpska Institute for Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage.
The event titled “Day of Managers of Protected Areas in BiH” will last until Friday, October 4.
Source: Srna
