Through the project “Y O U t h d r i ve” funded by the European Union, the last of four panel discussions was held today in Ljubuški on the topic of environmental protection in the West Herzegovina Canton. Representatives of the Government Office for European Integration WHC, the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Housing WHC, JP Parkovi Ljubuški and the Association Dinarica / WWF Adria, who have long been experts in the environmental sector, were panelists of these events. All other relevant stakeholders from the environmental sector were also present at the events.
The current state of the environment, the biggest obstacles in it, and proposals and guidelines for long-term and sustainable development and protection of natural resources are just some of the topics discussed. After four panels, it was concluded that the active involvement of the NGO sector, both now and in the future, will play a very important role in creating and developing the awareness of the local community, especially young people, regarding environmental issues and policies. Mrs. Soldo pointed out that such and similar projects make a big step towards strengthening and connecting all sectors in order to quality and concrete action in environmental protection, and to create a new space for joint action and contribution to sustainable development of the Canton.
“In the West Herzegovina Canton, we have a lot of work ahead of us related to environmental protection. The NGO sector, as a catalyst for change, must work together with local communities, institutions and the private sector to protect the natural resources of highly sensitive karst areas. Animal species are unfortunately disappearing more and more “, said one of the panelists, Vedran Kordić from the Dinarica Association and WWF Adria.
“As part of this project, the state of waters in the West Herzegovina Canton and the importance of protection of groundwater in particular were pointed out. Karst groundwater has invaluable ecological and economic value. It is necessary to implement appropriate technical measures to prevent groundwater pollution. Water protection should be a legal and moral obligation of everyone because: “Water is not everything, but everything without water is nothing! “, stated biotechnologist Marijana Bubalo.
The project also conducted an analysis of the state of watercourses in the West Herzegovina Canton, which was included in a set of recommendations for legislators in order to strengthen environmental policies and adopt concrete and quality measures.
As part of the events, the official website of the project “Our Nature” was presented, which enabled the local community and individuals to be actively involved in solving environmental problems – https://nasapriroda.com/.
The project is funded by the European Union in the amount of over 230,000 euros, with the aim of raising awareness among young people about the proper disposal of waste and environmental protection in the cross-border area of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The project “Y O U t h d r i v e” raising environmental awareness, and initiating concrete actions in the West Herzegovina Canton and the Bay of Kotor is implemented within the IPA Cross-border Cooperation Program Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro, funded by the European Union. The project partners are non-governmental organizations, the Association for Development, Environment and Culture EKO ZH from Široki Brijeg as the project holder, and Naša akcija, based in Kotor.