The Management Plan for the “Tišina” Protected Habitat, which was prepared by the Center for Environment in cooperation with the “ArborMagna” citizens’ association and with the strong support of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage and the Municipality of Šamac, was recently adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, i.e. the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology.
Like many other newly designated protected areas in our country, the “Tišina” Protected Habitat had an initial problem with the implementation of active protection, and one of the first steps of every protected area manager (in the case of Tišina, the Municipality of Šamac) is the preparation of management documents. Since the municipality did not have any experience in managing a protected area so far, the process of preparing this document posed a challenge and burden for the manager.
The Center for Environment found a way to secure funds and logistical support for the process of preparing the Management Plan for the “Tišina” Protected Habitat through the SavaTIES project.
From 2018 to 2021, the Center for Environment was one of the partners in the “SavaTIES” project – Preservation of the habitats in the Sava River basin through international management of invasive species.
During the three years of the project, activities were carried out in four countries through which the Sava River flows (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia). The aim of the project was to find an effective solution for the permanent removal and suppression of invasive plant species. Invasive plants were introduced to our area by intentional or unintentional human influence. These plant species spread uncontrollably through the Sava River basin and have a negative impact on other native species. They push them out, reduce soil fertility, overgrow arable agricultural land, and cause major problems in flood defence. In short, they change the natural habitats of national and European importance, and are very difficult to eradicate. Invasive alien species are considered one of the main challenges for the protection of biodiversity in the 21st century.
This project was significant from the perspective of strengthening and improving the Sava Parks Network, whose long-term goal is to preserve the natural and cultural values of the Sava River from its source to its mouth, its tributaries, and floodplains, biodiversity, favourable ecological status, and cultural heritage.
The Center for Environment implemented the project in one of the last wetlands on the Sava River in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Tišina Swamp near Šamac. During the project, the official protection of this area was declared, and Tišina Swamp was declared a Protected Habitat “Tišina”.
The Center for Environment is proud of a successfully completed story in supporting the preservation of the natural beauties of our country, as well as in cooperation and support for protected area managers. There are still many challenges ahead of us, but successes like this are certainly important steps towards a healthy and preserved nature.