Public Project
Rivers Unite, Dams Divide
Bosnia & Herzegovina is often remembered for its 1990s civil war, which saw ethnic Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks engaged in brutal conflict during the breakup of Yugoslavia. While tensions between these groups have flared over the centuries, there have also been many things they shared, and that united them. One of these is rivers, which have long been vital to trade, agriculture, transport, and cultural heritage, inspiring everything from music to literature.
Today, Bosnia is home to some of the last pristine river systems in Europe, hosting massive amounts of biodiversity, much of which has never been properly catalogued. Recent expeditions on a small stretch of the Neretva River alone resulted in 2100 species being identified, including the critically endangered Soft Mouth Trout and Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat. As countries in the Balkans move towards greener forms of energy production, a boom in hydropower development is taking place, with over 3000 dams planned across the region, with little regard for the negative environmental or social consequences.
Many rivers in Bosnia are slated to be carved up by these dams, while pollution from improper waste management and mining operations also pose a threat. A majority of these projects are so called small hydropower dams, producing under 10MW of electricity, but diverting large stretches of rivers into underground pipes. Over 100 small hydropower plants are operating on rivers around Bosnia, but account for only 2.2% of the country’s energy production.
Now, as Bosnia approaches 30 years since the end of the war, and politicians continue to espouse divisive rhetoric, ordinary people around the country are coming together across ethnic lines to defend the rivers and land that they all share.
This project was generously supported with a grant from the National Geographic Society.
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