The initiative to prevent the construction of small hydropower plants in the future nature park in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Snapshot Solution

Local community from Krušćica

Ajdin Kamber

Over 300 small hydropower plants (SHPP) have been planned for construction in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Even though there is a legal framework in BiH obliging the authorities and the investors to include the local community in the planning and decision-making processes, those regulations are consistently ignored. In Kruščica village, the consent of the locals, for building 4 SHPP planned on their river, was plagiarised. Those 4 SHPP were subsequently added into the spatial plan of the Vitez municipality, in which the Kruščica Mountain had been listed as a PA. Around 40 people signed their consent for the projects. The others didn’t have a clue what was going on (including 2,000 people is living in the village). A spontaneous gathering of citizens on the only bridge that leads to the construction site of SHPP has grown in the successful initiative. WWF Adria, together with partners, is supporting work of Eko-Bistro, organization established by Kruščica village inhabitants.

Last update: 10 May 2019

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Contexto

Défis à relever

Loss of Biodiversity

Conflicting uses / cumulative impacts

Lack of public and decision maker’s awareness

Social conflict and civil unrest

Scale of implementation

Local

National

Ecosystems

River, stream

Tema

Access and benefit sharing

Poaching and environmental crime

Gender mainstreaming

Health and human wellbeing

Indigenous people

Traditional knowledge

Water provision and management

Ubicación

Vitez, Central Bosnia Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina

East Europe

Impacts

Within a very short time span, this village in the Vitez municipality and its brave inhabitants have become the talk of the region, well beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two documentaries have already been made about their struggle, and journalists and TV crews are common visitors at the already famous site of the Bridge of the Brave Women of Kruščica. Since 2 August 2017, the population of Kruščica is keeping a round-the-clock watch (women during the day, men in the evening) over the bridge and the initiative has accomplished significant impacts:

The construction of the SHPPs was stopped by court decision.
Awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of the area is increased.
Future development projects will have to be planned with the participation of the locals due to change in the authority bodies of the local community. Previous authority body did not react to illegal felling and excluded locals from decision making.
Local business operators recognize the significance of Kruščica, as well as the importance of involving the local population in the efforts, and they support the initiative through donations.

Representatives of civil initiatives from Kruščica addressed the European Parliament on 7th March 2019, presenting their case at the Save the Balkan Rivers: Resisting Hydroelectric Power Plants in the Balkans and Albania conference.