Wild Rivers Get Proper Protection Against Power Plants

A new electricity law has been adopted in Bosnia, effectively banning the construction of small hydroelectric power plants on the waterways of the Balkans – a significant win celebrated by environmentalists, conservation groups, and local people.

Launched in 2013, Save the Blue Heart of Europe is a campaign dedicated to the protection of the entire network of wild Balkan rivers, which is considered to be “one of the most important spots for European biodiversity.” Indeed, the Balkans have more than 28,000 kilometers of watercourses with “extensive gravel banks, untouched alluvial forests, deep gorges, spectacular waterfalls, and even karstic underground rivers,” explains the campaign.

At the heart of the battle was the Neretva River, an emerald-green 255-kilometer waterway much appreciated by rafters, fishermen, and hikers. Thanks to the peaceful resistance from environmentalists, conservation groups, and local people – mainly through extended sit-in protests on roads and bridges to bar heavy machinery from accessing the rivers – 56 out of 67 new small hydropower plants have been stopped or delayed. According to the new electricity law, existing concession holders have three years to get the necessary permits and obtain the approval of local communities should they want their projects to go forward.