Nature protection and biodiversity - Why care? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a part of the Balkan Peninsula characterised by great abundance in terms of the diversity of its genes, species and eco-systems.

Several factors have led to the development of the unique plant and animal life in the Dinaric Alps of Bosnia and Herzegovina: a unique process of bedrock formation, the types of soil, the relief, the ecoclimate and the water table, to name but a few. The isolation of distinct habitats, such as cliffs, canyons and the highest mountain peaks has resulted in the development of special types that are specific to certain areas. In fact, the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina has acted as a dispersal centre for some types of flora that have expanded to other parts of the Balkan peninsula. 

Refugio-relict habitats represent the most unique element of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s environment, created during the formation of the Earth’s crust, geogenesis and the evolution of both climate and the living world. These habitats were the least altered during the period between pre- and post-glaciation and have preserved their natural ecological qualities. They contain many tertiary plant and animal species which were subject to drastic climate changes during the last glaciation period. Species living in these refugia are considered to be relicts. These types of habitat, where numerous tertiary relict species of plants and animals live, are of the greatest importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s biodiversity, and also for global biodiversity. Tertiary relict ecosystems in Bosnia and Herzegovina are located mainly in canyons, cliffs and on the steep slopes of mountains in the basins of the Una, Vrbas, Bosna, Drina and Neretva rivers.

A state assessment carried out as part of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) project emphasised the following characteristics of landscapes and biological diversity: 

• High level of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity
• Well-preserved landscape diversity units important on a European and global scale
• Significant degree of change in terms of the distribution and composition of climax ecosystems
• Trend towards loss of biological and landscape diversity, caused by a wide spectrum of anthropogenous factors.

In addition to the diversity of endemic and relict taxa, nature management in Bosnia and Herzegovina prioritises the protection of: 

• Habitats outside their usual distribution range and rare habitats (bogs, salt marshes, mountain sources, sea cliffs, small marshes, caves, etc.)
• Karst ecosystems as natural phenomena (karst fields, sinking rivers, caves, karsts) ;
• Ecosystems in relict black pine woods on different foundations (limestone, dolomite, ophiolite, tuff).