Greenhouse gas emissions and removals in land and forests

The largest share of emissions in the country comes from the land use, land-use change and forestry sector, specifically agricultural soils. The main sources of methane are fermentation and manure management in agriculture. The emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O) is mostly from agricultural soils and varies slightly over time, ranging from 4 Gg to 6 Gg per year.

Forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina represent a significant carbon dioxide (CO₂) sink, amounting to – 5 844.09 Gg in 2017 and – 5 831.9 Gg in 2018. Forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the available data for the base year, cover an area of 2.28 million ha and the share of deciduous trees, which have a greater capacity to absorb carbon, is 68.8%. In the forestry sector, plans include measures to increase the sink by 93 Gg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq) by 2030.

The share of CO₂eq emissions from agriculture, forestry and land use in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2020 was 3.2%. This was more due to the high degree of ruralness and low agricultural intensity of the country than due to deliberate policy decisions. Bosnia and Herzegovina could focus on advancing agroforestry, climate-smart agricultural practices and nature-based tourism to protect its dense woodlands while promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development.