Battle for Sutjeska

Battle for Sutjeska
Nataša Crnković,
Center for Environment
Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina
National park Sutjeska
- First (1962.) National park in BiH
- Primeval forest Perućica
- Habitat to numerous rare, endangered and
important species, endemic and stenoendemic species
Bern Convention (Annex III)
Habitat Directive (Annex IV)
CITES (Annex II)
Law on hunting FBiH
Law on hunting RS
Red list RS
Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica
Edraianthus sutjeskae
Small hydro power plant in NP
Sutjeska
- Concession agreement from 2006. and in 2012.
Government of RS gave Decision on consent
- Investor Drina Hydro Energy
- 12.8 MW
- public interest
Participation in decision making
processes, on all levels!!
EIA
- Public hearing
- Commenting
- Adoption by the Ministry
- Lawsuits
- Natura 2000 habitats (3220, 3240, 8210)
- brown bear, chamois, wolf, bats, otter, invertebrates...
- IBA sites
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- UNESCO world heritage site (process)
- Emerald sites
Partners and allies
- Friends of the Earth Europe, IUCN, WWF,
CEEweb
- Secretariats of conventions
- Parliamentarians, Institute for nature
protection
- scientists
- European Commission, World Bank
- local community
Two verdicts in our favor for EIAs
Government decided to stop procedures
Public opinion: against HPP
New scientific data and arguments
Bern Convention compliant
Investor slowly pulling back
- Using Sutjeska example to strengthen and
encourage smaller campaigns in BiH and in the
region and to ask for bigger changes in energy
sector
- Widening anti-hydro campaigns into whole
SEE region with SEENET partners (http://seenet.net/en)
- Continuing with other activities in NP Sutjeska
natasa.crnkovic@czzs.org
Thank you!