INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO ESTABLISH UNA WILD RIVERS NATIONAL PARK

Local and international organisations have launched a joint initiative to protect the Una River basin, presenting a vision for the long-term preservation of one of Europe’s last relatively intact river systems.

PHOTO: SRNA

A team of experts has prepared a feasibility study examining whether the proposed Una Wild Rivers National Park is technically and practically achievable, given that the protected area would extend across the territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

Mario Crnković, president of the Green Team association from Novi Grad, told Srna that this is the first comprehensive feasibility study outlining how more than 650 kilometres of rivers and streams within the Una River basin could be protected.

“The proposed concept does not view the Una in isolation, but as part of a wider river system, including all its tributaries, among them the Sana. I am convinced that an approach capable of delivering tangible progress while taking local needs and the existing institutional framework into account can provide a way to preserve the Una,” Crnković said.

He added that the first presentations of the initiative would be held this week in Bihać, Bosanska Krupa, Novi Grad, Sanski Most and Prijedor.

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONS INVITED TO TAKE PART

Crnković stressed that the process must involve all stakeholders, from citizens and local communities to anglers, tourism professionals, academics, the wider scientific community and relevant institutions at every level of government.

“Everyone has their own perspective, needs and responsibilities. We must listen to those who support the idea, but equally to those who have questions, concerns or different proposals,” he said.

According to Crnković, the goal is to develop a practical and broadly accepted solution that enjoys genuine support from both local residents and institutions, while fully respecting their existing responsibilities and jurisdictions.

UNA HOME TO EXCEPTIONAL BIODIVERSITY

Ulrich Eichelmann, executive director of the organisation Riverwatch, said the Una still possesses natural features that many European rivers lost long ago.

“We are talking about one of the last major, relatively intact river systems in Europe, with exceptional biodiversity, free-flowing rivers and habitats that have already disappeared elsewhere,” Eichelmann said.

He highlighted the Una’s importance as a habitat for one of the world’s largest and healthiest populations of the huchen, also known as the Danube salmon, which continues to reproduce naturally in the river.

The species depends on long stretches of free-flowing rivers, making the Una particularly valuable for its survival.

The underground waters of the Una basin are also home to the olm, a rare amphibian that inhabits caves, while wetlands and riverside habitats support numerous rare bird species and other wildlife.

SCIENTISTS DOCUMENT NEARLY 1,000 SPECIES IN FIVE DAYS

The importance of the area was further demonstrated during Science Week on the Una, when approximately 70 scientists and experts recorded nearly 1,000 plant and animal species in just five days.

Eichelmann said these findings represent only part of the basin’s biological diversity, adding that the full extent of its natural wealth remains unknown.

“Natural treasures such as this are becoming increasingly rare in Europe. The Una is therefore much more than a natural asset of local importance. Its protection matters at the European level and beyond, and we can achieve it only through joint efforts,” he said.

PROPOSED PARK WOULD PROTECT 650 KILOMETRES OF RIVERS AND STREAMS

According to Eichelmann, the Una can be preserved in the long term only by protecting the entire river system, from its source to its confluence with the Sava, together with its free-flowing tributaries.

“The Una river system represents a single whole, and we must therefore manage it as a whole. The best way to achieve this is by establishing the Una Wild Rivers National Park, which would extend across Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia,” he said.

Experts who assessed the proposal concluded that the concept is feasible. If established, the park could become the world’s second national park dedicated to wild rivers, protecting approximately 650 kilometres of rivers and streams.

The initiative aims to create a coordinated, cross-border approach to conservation, bringing together local communities, scientists, organisations and public institutions to safeguard the Una’s exceptional natural heritage for future generations.