Durmitor National Park

• Water infrastructure (Proposed dam development on the Tara River)
• Illegal logging and hunting (issue resolved)
• Tourism infrastructure (Ski development in the Zabljak area)
• Boundary issues

Total amount provided to the property: USD 40,000 by UNESCO Venice Office; USD 50,000 under the Participation Programme

On 28 December 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/100/documents, providing the following information:

• In 2020, the State Party terminated the process of expansion of ski infrastructure development in the property, shifting the focus towards reconstruction or adaptation of existing ski infrastructure;
• The possibility of amendments to the Special Purpose Spatial Plan (SPSP) regarding tourism infrastructure development will be considered after the adoption of the Revised Protection Study (RPS) for the property;
• The RPS will propose to reinstate the property’s boundaries as they were prior to their 2013 modification, including revised zonation, a buffer zone and a description of the spatial distribution of important habitats and species;
• The construction works for the Smokovac-Mateševo section of the Bar-Boljare motorway were completed in July 2022 and the road is open. Subsequent downstream monitoring activities have observed Danube salmon in two of the six survey sites including within the property;
• The State Party of Montenegro has received no information from the State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the updated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Buk Bijela hydroelectric power plant (HPP) project;
• The construction of the 400kV Lastva Grbaljska-Pljevlja transmission line, which would cross the property, will replace the existing line in the same location;
• The proposed Komarnica HPP, which would inundate the area noted by the 2018 Advisory mission as potentially suitable for an extension of the property, is currently undergoing evaluation through an EIA process. In its report, the commission has elaborated on several objections that will have to be addressed before the EIA can be accepted.

Two letters dated 21 May and 28 May 2021 were sent to the States Parties of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Serbia, respectively, by the World Heritage Centre requesting verification and comment on third party information regarding the Buk Bijela HPP. On 7 September and 23 July 2021, responses were received from the States Parties of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia respectively. The State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina provided the English translation of the EIA dated January 2013 and details of the EIA process. The State Party of Serbia provided details of the EIA process and legislation relating to the project and noted that this was the first of three power plants planned on the upper course of the Drina River.

On 11 August 2021, the State Party of Montenegro sent a letter to the World Heritage Centre transmitting information regarding the development of a lead and zinc mine in the vicinity of the property. On 25 August 2021, the World Heritage Centre acknowledged receipt, noting the requirement for impact assessment for development projects within or around a World Heritage property.

On 4 November 2021, UNESCO sent a letter to the State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, recalling the Committee’s concern regarding the revival of the Buk Bijela HPP, the request to jointly assess with the State Party of Montenegro any potential impact of the project on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and the comments of IUCN previously transmitted to the State Party in a letter of the World Heritage Centre dated 9 March 2021. In the same correspondence, the States Parties’ obligations under the World Heritage Convention were recalled, in particular Article 6, paragraph 3, which indicates that States Parties are obliged not to ‘take any deliberate measures which might damage directly or indirectly the cultural and natural heritage […] situated on the territory of other States Parties to this Convention’. The State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina was invited to update the EIA, including a detailed assessment of any potential impacts on the OUV of the property, and to provide it to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN.

A letter dated 15 July 2022 was sent by the World Heritage Centre to the State Party of Montenegro conveying concerns about the potential impacts of the proposed Komarnica HPP on the Dragišnica and Komarnica Nature Park, which the 2018 joint Advisory mission noted could be an appropriate addition to the property to enhance its integrity. On 1 December 2022, the State Party of Montenegro responded that the evaluation of the EIA for the HPP was still underway and noted that the concessionaire would need to conduct the impact assessment in accordance with the requirements of the Convention before beginning construction. IUCN’s analysis of the information received at this stage is included in the following section.

On 14 March 2023, the State Party submitted the RPS, along with maps of Durmitor National Park, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN.

It is welcomed that the State Party has terminated the process of expanding ski infrastructure development in the property. Noting that the focus will now shift towards reconstruction and adaptation of existing ski infrastructure, the Committee should recall the findings of the 2019 joint Advisory mission and request again that any modernisation of existing ski infrastructure should remain within exactly the same limited area closely following the existing routes, not allowing for any expansion or extension, and that the ski lifts should be operated within the limits of the current capacity of the existing ski runs.

It should also be recalled that in light of warming climatic conditions and in order to ensure the effective conservation of the property, the State Party should consider completely phasing out the use of the Savin Kuk slopes for skiing in the long-term, and prioritise less impactful forms of tourism within the property. It is therefore recommended that the Committee reiterate its request not to pursue the construction of tourism infrastructure inside the property, and encourage the State Party to develop a sustainable tourism management strategy for the property, which should also be reflected in the updated SPSP following the finalization of the RPS.

The submission of the RPS, including the information that the boundaries of the National Park will be returned to the configuration prior to their 2013 modification, zonation revised, and a buffer zone established in line with the recommendations of the 2018 joint Advisory mission to the property, is welcomed. The RPS will be reviewed by IUCN and the State Party should be requested to fully consider the findings of the review and consult with the World Heritage Centre prior to adopting any legal change to the boundaries of the National Park or the protection status of any area of the property.

Recalling the concern expressed by the Committee in its Decision 44 COM 7B.104 regarding the revival of the proposed Buk Bijela HPP project, it is regrettable that the State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not provided the requested update on the 2013 EIA nor provided any additional details on the revised project in follow up to the IUCN review of March 2021. It is recalled that this review recommended that the EIA be updated to ensure that the most recent data is taken into account and that a detailed assessment of potential impacts on the OUV is included, which factors in the rich fish fauna of Tara River, including the migratory Danube Salmon (Hucho hucho) threatened by dam constructions and endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as an attribute of the OUV of the property.

It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide more information on the status as well as accurate technical details on the planned project and reiterate its request to update, jointly with the State Party of Montenegro, the 2013 EIA, including a detailed assessment of any potential impacts on the OUV of the property, through an EIA updated in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context.

The information provided by the State Party of Serbia, stating that the project is the first of three planned HPP projects on the upper Drina catchment downstream of the property, adds to the concern, considering the importance of uninterrupted river flow for the conservation of migratory fish species, such as the endangered Danube Salmon. The Committee may therefore wish to request the States Parties of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to ensure that these projects are similarly assessed for their impacts on the OUV of the property, including cumulative impacts, through a Strategic Environmental Assessment, undertaken in collaboration with the State Party of Montenegro.

Noting that an EIA for the proposed Komarnica HPP is currently under evaluation by the national authorities, it is recommended the State Party ensure that the potential impacts on the OUV of the property have been fully assessed, and not approve the project if impacts to OUV have not been considered in the impact assessment, or if it is found that the project would result in negative impacts on the OUV. Furthermore, noting that the dam would inundate the Dragišnica and Komarnica Nature Park, it is recalled that the 2018 joint Advisory mission considered that this area presented a similar diversity of geological and biological values to the property, and could therefore be an appropriate addition to the property to enhance its integrity. The determination of the project should therefore take into account its potential impact on the current integrity of the property, as well as the future implementation of such an extension, recalling also that the 2018 mission concluded that the area would only qualify for inclusion into the property if it met the same high-level protection standards of the property.

Noting the confirmed presence of Danube Salmon following the completion of the Smokovac-Mateševo section of the Bar-Boljare motorway, the State Party should be requested to continue monitoring downstream impacts inside the property, and the status of key species that are attributes of the OUV in particular the Danube Salmon. Regarding the upgrade of the Lastva Grbaljska-Pljevlja transmission line, the State Party should be encouraged to apply strict environmental safeguard standards to carefully monitor, reduce and mitigate any potential impacts during construction and maintenance works. The potential impacts of the proposed lead and zinc mine should also be assessed prior to taking any decision that is difficult to reverse.