Hollywood star and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has once again urged the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make a step further towards the protection of its rivers from hydropower development, pointing out Albania as an example in the region of how important the concrete actions are.
This is the second time in just a couple of months that DiCaprio is calling on the authorities in Bosnia's Federation (FBiH) region to protect its rivers from small hydroelectric power plant projects. The actor's call comes as a part of a campaign of global environmental organisations that were alarmed about the problem following a series of protests by Bosnian citizens and activists.
FBiH PM Fadil Novalic then responded, promising he would “as a big nature lover” do everything in his power to stop the construction of small hydro-electric plants and that he even discussed the matter with the prime minister of Bosnia's other region, Republika Srpska, Radovan Viskovic.
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DiCaprio warned the time is running out and that Bosnia should follow Albania's example.
“While we wait for the Federal Prime Minister and his government in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take legal steps to protect the country's Blue Heart rivers from further destruction by small hydro, there is very promising news coming from Albania. Vjosa, one of Europe’s last big wild rivers might be saved from hydropower development,” he wrote on social networks.
On September 25th, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the Kalivaç dam project was rejected and that the area will become a national park. The Vjosa Wild River National Park would become Europe’s largest river conservation site covering several hundred kilometres of rivers and streams and protecting hundreds or even thousands of species like the globally endangered European eel and the recently discovered Vjosa stonefly.
“This would be a huge achievement for Albania and the rest of Europe, and the park could become a role model for the Biodiversity Strategy within the framework of the Green Deal. Looking forward to more good news about concrete actions for permanent and full river protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and the rest of the Balkan's Blue Heart region,” DiCaprio added.
FBiH House of Representatives adopted a declaration to protect rivers earlier this year, as well as a complete ban on the construction of small hydropower plants across the entity, a goal environment activists in Bosnia have increasingly been pushing for.
According to the decision, the FBiH Government had three months to analyse and propose changes to the legislation enabling the full implementation of the ban in practice.
Five months later, this Tuesday, PM Novalic met competent ministers to discuss urgent measures, based on the parliament's conclusions and demands of environmental activists.
They agreed on changes and amendments to several regulations towards that goal, while all funds initially planned for the construction of small hydroelectric power plants will be reallocated as incentives for other renewable sources of energy, according to the Government's statement issued after the meeting.
As of January 2021, the decision on incentives for small hydroelectric power plant construction will no longer be extended, the Government said.
