prijava
MOSTAR, December 26 (FENA) - The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has commented on the Environmental Impact Study for the Mostar-Široki Brijeg- Border of Croatia expressway project and expressed concern that the southeastern part of Mostarsko Blato with reservoirs will be damaged.
This will also affect the state of a key stenoendemic fish species which currently inhabits most of the canals and the upper north-western part, which will be crossed by a future expressway. The planned construction will bridge the Lištica River in the northwestern part, and the relocation of the Crnašnica and Mokašnica riverbeds is planned, WWF Adria announced.
The construction of the future road is planned to take place through the only remaining preserved part of Mostarsko Blato, which, as they say, loses valuable bird habitats, i.e. the most important resorts for migratory birds and the most important nesting sites for many rare and endangered species. The path that crosses the field, as they point out, will lead to a change in the water regime, which will disrupt the periodic flooding, which favors the spread of invasive plant species.
Given that, as they say, the prepared environmental impact study in the segments is contradictory and deficient, WWF sent comments emphasizing additional measures for environmental protection.
It was also pointed out that monitoring the status of the species cannot be a measure to mitigate negative impacts, and that the methodology of impact analysis describing that the mentioned negative impacts will not be significant is not clear.
The project implemented by the Dinarica Association (WWF Adria in BiH) also contributes to the preservation of this area, and is financed by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, within which the project team monitors the behavior of 35 individuals from Mostarsko blato and will try to spawn them by spring. Based on this experiment, recommendations will be made for field interventions, the statement said.
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