In order to protect the tributaries of the divine river Neretva, at the end of the year in Blagaj, in cooperation with the local organisation Youth Club “New Wave” Blagaj, Center for Environment has organised a consultative workshop / interactive discussion with the local community that uses this river as a focal point of their activities.
During the workshop we presented the project and the results of biodiversity research conducted within the project in order to collect relevant data for the protection of the area, and the most important goal of the workshop was an interactive discussion on the protection of the Buna and Bunica rivers, as well as discovering the needs of the local community when it comes to environment conservation.
We talked about the problems that lead to the disruption of the rivers normal state, about the ways they use this river, what they think is most important to protect, but also what they think the protection of this area will change and what consequences it would have for them. The participants pointed out numerous problems that threaten the biodiversity of Buna and Bunica, but also the fear that the protection of the area could limit their activities, e.g. fishing.
Such discussions and conversations give us insight into the importance of the river itself, as well as the importance of protection with the active participation of citizens, and at the same time consultative processes with local communities in the protection process that will begin through the project „Steps toward the protection of the Neretva tributaries: Buna, Bunica, Bregava and Trebižat” funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). The project aims to achieve long-term protection and sustainable use of these tributaries of the Neretva through a combination of scientific research, education, promotion and advocacy activities.
