Support the fight for the Neretva, the smaragd heart of Herzegovina! After the construction of the Hydropower Plant (HPP) Ulog it is more urgent than ever to stand up for the Neretva, its local communities and its unique wildlife. 

Various Bosnian and international river protection NGOs have therefore prepared the following letter to the Ministry for Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology of the Republika Srpska:

Protection of the Upper Neretva watershed

1. Strictly prohibiting all further hydropower development in the Upper Neretva basin and prioritising the protection of the Upper Neretva and all the free flowing tributaries of the Neretva. 
2. Independent, transparent and continuous monitoring of the operation of the HPP Ulog
3. Clear sanctions and strict enforcement in the case of non-compliance, such as disrespecting the legally prescribed minimum guaranteed water flow. 

Preventing ecosystem destruction at other sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina 

1. Carrying out Environmental Impact Assessments with all due diligence before starting the construction of any infrastructure.
2. Complying with the various international agreements on nature conservation to which Bosnia and Herzegovina is a party
3. Strengthening the status of protected areas through effective management plans. 

Authorship of the petition: 
River Collective (https://www.instagram.com/therivercollective/)
Save The Blue Heart of Europe (https://www.instagram.com/blueheartrivers/)

Read the whole letter to see the full picture:

Otvoreno pismo Ministarstvu Republike Srpske 

****English version below****

Poštovani ministre Bojane Vipotnik,

Mi smo River Collective, organizacija posvećena zaštiti rijeka i održivom upravljanju istih. U septembru smo organizovali studentski kamp na kojem smo okupili 30 studenta iz 15 zemalja, zajedno s aktivistima, umjetnicima i predavačima. Ova grupa lokalaca i učesnika iz cijele Evrope došla je na Gornju Neretvu zbog njene izuzetne raznolikosti i ekološkog bogatstva. Naš cilj bio je razumjeti jedinstvenost ovog prostora i kako na njega utiče nedavno izgrađena hidroelektrana (HE) Ulog.

Rijeka Neretva nije samo izvor proizvodnje električne energije, ona je smaragdno srce Hercegovine, životna linija za bezbroj vrsta, lokalne zajednice i buduće generacije. Gornja Neretva (od Konjica do izvora) bila je slobodno tekuća, podržavajući zadivljujuću biološku raznolikost. Nažalost, to više nije slučaj. Hidroelektrana Ulog fragmentirala je ovaj posljednji netaknuti dio rijeke.

Putem terenskih posmatranja i preliminarnog prikupljanja podataka, identifikovali smo nekoliko značajnih problema. Oni uključuju poremećaje u prirodnom protoku vode koji su ključni za migraciju riba, promjene staništa, pad biodiverziteta vrsta i narušavanje režima sedimenata. Mjerenja fizičko-hemijskih parametara uzvodno i nizvodno od brane pokazuju ozbiljne negativne uticaje, poput niske koncentracije kisika u vodi, visoke mutnoće i sedimentacije. Biološke analize ukazuju na pad biodiverziteta i zdravlja organizama u dijelu rijeke ispod brane.

Transformacija ovog dijela Neretve, rijeke od ogromne ekološke i kulturne važnosti, naglašava hitnu potrebu za transparentnijim procjenama ekoloških, društvenih i ekonomskih uticaja koje ovakvi projekti nameću.

Naša saznanja ukazuju na nužnost rigoroznih studija uticaja na okoliš prije nego što započne projekat. Pozivamo vašu vladu da prioritizira ekološka razmatranja u budućim razvojnim planovima i zaštitu neprocjenjivih slatkovodnih resursa Bosne i Hercegovine.

Naše istraživanje, koje se nadovezuje na dvije Naučne sedmice (Science week) na Gornjoj Neretvi (2022. i 2023.), potvrđuje ekološku važnost ovog područja. Stoga, mi, River Collective, uz podršku kampanje "Sačuvajmo plavo srce Evrope" (Save the Blue Heart of Europe) i lokalnih organizacija kao što su Zeleni Neretva, Aarhus centar, Centar za zaštitu životne sredine i Fondacija za društvene promjene - ACT i mnogi drugi, pozivamo Ministarstvo za prostorno uređenje, građevinarstvo i ekologiju Republike Srpske da uzme u obzir sljedeće preporuke:

Neophodne političke mjere za smanjenje štetnog uticaja hidroelektrane Ulog na ekosistem Neretve:

1. Saradnja s akademskim institucijama i ekološkim organizacijama u cilju praćenja ekološkog uticaja tokom rada hidroelektrane.
2. Uspostavljanje sistema monitoringa sa sljedećim karakteristikama:
   1. Mjerenje parametara: Površinski i podzemni protok, temperatura, kisik i bioindikatori (posebno ribe i beskičmenjaci).
   2. Gdje: Uzvodno i nizvodno od brane, kao i između brane i hidroelektrane.
   3. Dostupnost podataka: Online prijenos podataka uživo.
      Uvođenje jasnih sankcija za nepoštivanje operativnih odredbi HE Ulog, koje zabranjuju  hidropeaking i propisuju minimalni garantovani protok vode.
   4. Konsultacija sa naučnom zajednicom i lokalnim stanovništvom o tome da li je minimalni protok od 0,52 m³/s dovoljan za očuvanje biodiverziteta nizvodno.
   5. Stroga zabrana daljnje izgradnje hidroelektrana u slivu Gornje Neretve i prioritetna zaštite svih slobodno tekućih pritoka Neretve.
   6. Svi dalji razvojni projekti vezani za HE Ulog moraju biti u skladu s Arhuškom konvencijom o pristupu informacijama, učešću javnosti u donošenju odluka i pristupu pravdi u ekološkim pitanjima.

Neophodne političke mjere za sprječavanje budućeg uništavanja ekosistema:

1. Poštivanje međunarodnih sporazuma o zaštiti prirode na koje se BiH obavezala, uključujući Arhušku konvenciju, Bernsku konvenciju i Konvenciju o biološkoj raznolikosti.
2. Provođenje procjena uticaja na okoliš koristeći najsavremenije metode i podatke prije započinjanja gradnje infrastruktura.
3. Obustava svih radova na terenu dok se ne izda formalna dozvola i ne riješe svi pravni sporovi vezani za projekat.
4. Jačanje statusa zaštićenih područja kroz efikasne planove upravljanja kako bi se spriječila gradnja hidroelektrana u ovim vrijednim područjima.

Kao grupa mladih stručnjaka i studenata iz cijele Evrope, mnogi od nas su svjedočili nepovratnim posljedicama nekontrolisanog razvoja hidroelektrana na rijekama u svojim zemljama. Bosna i Hercegovina i dalje ima neke od biološki najraznolikijih i netaknutih riječnih ekosistema u Evropi. Očuvanje ovih prostora je od globalnog značaja. S obzirom na to, pozivamo vas da ozbiljno razmotrite naše prijedloge i obavežete se na budućnost u kojoj je razvoj u skladu s očuvanjem prirode.

Stojimo vam na raspolaganju za dalju diskusiju i saradnju.

S poštovanjem,
River Collective

***************

English version 

Dear Minister Bojan Vipotnik,

We are the River Collective, an organisation committed to the protection and sustainable stewardship of free-flowing rivers. In September, we facilitated a student camp where we gathered 31 bachelor, master, and PhD students from 15 countries, along with activists, artists and lecturers.This group, consisting of local actors along with people from across Europe, were drawn to the Upper Neretva on the basis of its extreme diversity and ecological wealth. Our aim was to understand the richness of this space and how it is being impacted by the newly constructed Hydropower Plant (HPP) Ulog. 

The Neretva river is not simply a source for electricity production, it is the smaragd heart of Herzegovina, it is a lifeline for countless species, local communities, and future generations. The Upper Neretva (from Konjic to its source) has been free-flowing, supporting an astonishing biodiversity. Sadly, this is no longer true. The HPP Ulog has fragmented this final stretch of pristine river. 

Through on-site observations and preliminary data collection, we have identified several significant concerns. These include disruptions to the natural flow crucial to migrating fish, habitat changes, species biodiversity decline, and a disturbed sediment regime. Measurements of physico-chemical parameters taken upstream and downstream of the dam reveal severe negative impacts, such as low oxygen concentrations in the water, high turbidity and sediment siltation. Biological assessment, including macrozoobenthos determination, indicate a decline in biodiversity and organism health in the section below the dam. 

The transformation of this part of the Neretva, a river of immense ecological and cultural importance, highlights the urgent need for more transparent assessments of the environmental, social, and economic impacts that such projects impose. 

Our findings underscore the necessity of rigorous environmental impact studies before proceeding with similar projects. We urge your government to prioritise environmental considerations in future development plans and to protect Bosnia and Herzegovina's invaluable freshwater resources. 

With our own research building on the potent evidence of two science weeks along the Upper Neretva (2022 & 2023), the ecological importance of this space is definitive. As such, we, the River Collective, in support of the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign and local  organisations such as Zeleni Neretva, Aarhus Center, Center for environment and Foundation Atelier for Community Transformation - ACT and many others,  encourage you, the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, to take the following recommendations into account.  

Necessary policy actions to minimise any adverse environmental impact the construction of the HPP Ulog has already inflicted and will further inflict on the Neretva ecosystem during its lifespan: 

1. Close scientific collaboration with academic bodies and environmental organisations to monitor the environmental and ecological impacts during the dams lifecycle.
2. Setting up a monitoring system with the following characteristics:
   1. Variables: Surface and groundwater discharge, temperature, oxygen, nutrients and bioindicators (especially fish and invertebrates)
   2. Measurement points: Upstream and downstream of the dam as well as between the dam and the powerhouse.
   3. Data availability: Online real-time data broadcasting
3. Establishing clear sanctions for non-compliance with HPP Ulog’s original operational provisions, which prohibit hydropeaking and specify a minimum guaranteed water flow.
4. Consulting the expertise of the scientific community and the local population to determine whether the minimum guaranteed water flow of 0.52 m³/s is sufficient to preserve the biodiversity downstream. 
5. Strictly prohibiting all further hydropower development in the Upper Neretva basin and prioritising the protection of the Upper Neretva and all the free flowing tributaries of the Neretva.
6. All further development projects related to the Ulog HPP must comply with the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

Necessary policy actions to prevent future ecosystem destruction at other sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

1. Compliance with the international agreements on nature conservation to which Bosnia and Herzegovina is a party. This applies in particular to the Aarhus Convention, the Bern Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity. As an aspiring EU member state, Bosnia and Herzegovina should also have a strong interest in adhering to the various EU policies on nature conservation and freshwater, such as the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats and Birds Directives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
2. Carrying out environmental impact assessments with due diligence, using up-to-date data and best scientific procedures, before starting the construction of any infrastructure.
3. Suspension of any works on site until the permit has been formally granted and all pending legal disputes relating to the project have been concluded. Subsequent national court decisions must be more strongly enforced on the ground.
4. Strengthening the status of protected areas through effective management plans to prevent hydropower development in these highly valuable areas.

As a group of young professionals and students from around Europe, many of us have witnessed firsthand the irreversible consequences that unchecked river developments have had on waterways in our own countries. As it stands, Bosnia and Herzegovina holds some of the most vibrant and intact riverine systems across the entirety of Europe. The ecological integrity of these spaces is of profound importance, not only nationally but globally as well. We recognize these rivers as a critical resource that requires careful, forward-thinking stewardship. The state of these ecosystems, still notably undisturbed by large scale infrastructure projects, provides a powerful opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be an international forerunner in sustainable development, integrating rich cultural practice and natural conservation. It is with this in mind that we urge you to take our concerns to heart, and commit to a future where development aligns with nature's balance. 

We remain ready at your disposal for further discussion and assistance.

Respectfully,
River Collective