engleski

Environmental status of Western Balkan rivers threatened by hydropower construction – a preliminary assessment

The tsunami of planned hydropower plants is one of the most important threats to aquatic biodiversity of rivers in Western Balkan which are known as the most important hotspots of aquatic biodiversity in Europe. In order to identify the most valuable river reaches, in the natural or near natural conditions, we made an assessment of the environmental status of selected rivers, mostly those threatened by planned hydropower plants. In total, 418 rivers were analysed in five Western Balkan countries: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania. Main units of analysis, the Evaluated River Reaches (ERRs), were identified after all river types were distinguished. ERRs are contiguous sections of a river belonging to one river type chosen so that they are approximately homogenous according to elements of environmental condition. The environmental condition of each ERR was assessed by calculating the Index of River Reach Condition, which is a combination of five criteria: hydrology, channel morphology, riparian vegetation, water quality and land use. The final condition of ERR was scored by summing scores for the five criteria (max. 50) and each ERR was categorized in five classes: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. In total, 28, 823 km of river length was analysed where 14% was in high and 39% in good condition, while 23% had moderate, 4% poor and 20% bad condition. Protection of ERR of high and good condition would ensure the long-term persistence of the most important features of aquatic biodiversity in Western Balkan.

environmental condition, hydrology, channel morphology, riparian vegetation, water quality, land use, Hydroelectric Power Plants, dams, Balkan rivers

nije evidentirano