Yesterday, the Kakanj Municipal Council unanimously adopted the Decision on granting consent for the establishment of the protected area “Gornja Trstionica – Bukovica”, which made a significant step in the protection of nature, both in the Zenica-Doboj canton and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The initiative for the establishment of official protection of this area was initiated by the mayor of Kakanj Municipality, Mirnes Bajtarević, based on research on natural and cultural-historical values commissioned and financed by Kakanj Municipality itself. The planned protected area covers an area of 55,108 hectares and includes the watercourses of Bukovica and Trstionica with the rainforest of the same name, and Kraljeva Sutjeska as a site of special cultural and historical importance.
The conducted research showed rich biodiversity and good preservation of the rainforest area with the presence of endangered, rare and endemic species, but also a high degree of sensitivity and vulnerability of the ecosystem. In the research analyses, it was emphasized that the preservation and functionality of the rainforest ecosystem will be threatened if adequate active protection measures are not ensured in neighboring ecosystems. Since the Municipality of Kakanj is particularly interested in water protection, it is important to note that the test results confirm the high quality of the water, especially in the upper and middle reaches of Trstionica. And finally, the exceptional values of the cultural and historical heritage present in this area should certainly be highlighted.
Aware of these facts, the councilors of the Kakanj Municipal Council did not hesitate whether they should respect the opinion of the profession, but also the concerned voice of the people due to the potential pollution of watercourses that could be caused by mining activities in the neighboring municipality of Vareš. With this procedure, the Municipality of Kakanj demonstrated a high awareness of the need to protect nature, which, unfortunately, could not be said for the City of Zenica. Although they are burdened with similar problems of industrial pollution as the municipality of Kakanj, this week the agenda of the city council of Zenica included an item on the protection of two trees, no less and no more. Namely, instead of initiating the declaration of the Babino-Tvrtkovac nature park with an area of 60 square kilometers, which is foreseen in the Spatial Plan of the city, at its session on October 6, 2023. The city council will discuss the protection of two centuries-old yew trees in the Pepelari settlement, which certainly belong to the scope of the planned Babino-Tvrtkovac park.
Although the City Council’s Work Plan for 2023 foresees an “Initiative to start the procedure for the declaration of the Nature Park “Babina-Tvrtkovac” with a deadline of January-February 2023, the material for that point has never been on the council’s agenda. Despite numerous appeals by environmental associations, citizen petitions, and conducted scientific research, the local authorities have never shown the slightest interest in declaring the protected area “Babina-Tvrtkovac”. On the other hand, the municipality of Kakanj, with its Decision, strongly demonstrated the importance of dialogue and partnership between the authorities, civil society organizations and activists, for the benefit of all citizens and the prosperity of the local community as a whole.
The decision of the Kakanj Municipal Council will thus be forwarded to the Assembly of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, which has the authority to declare protection, but also to establish a Public Institution for protected natural areas. This institution, following the example of a similar one in Sarajevo Canton, would manage the “Gornja Trstionica – Bukovica” area, as well as other protected areas, including the Tajan Nature Monument and the Zvijezda Protected Area, the declaration of which is already in the cantonal procedure. Whether the Government and Assembly of Zenica-Doboj Canton will show responsibility for environmental protection or will not see the forest for the trees remains to be seen.
And so, while the municipality of Kakanj firmly believes that the declaration of the protected nature area “Gornja Trstionica-Bukovica” will increase the volume of tourist offers and products, and thus the number of employees, which would enable the self-sustainability of the protected area, Zenica can only hope that two centuries-old trees yew trees in the Pepelari neighborhood to produce enough oxygen for all the city’s residents. Will the citizens of Zenica be satisfied with that, that is, the protection of only two trees behind which Mayor Fuad Kasumović apparently hid? This is a question that the mayor himself will have to answer, the BiH Nature Protection Network announced.
Source: akta.ba
