FBiH Minister of Environment and Tourism Edita Đapo told FENA that amendments to the Law on Nature Protection have been proposed so that, among other things, calcareous tufa is recognized as a natural asset in order to preserve the natural values of the Federation of BiH.

Non-existence of the FBiH Institute for Nature Protection

The Federation of BiH has tufa habitats that are vulnerable and damaged by human activities, and, as she states, they need to be protected and restored.

- In all countries in the region, tufa and its barriers are a natural asset that is strictly protected. However, the protection of tufa is not recognized in the provisions of the existing Law on Nature Protection as a natural asset, and this shortcoming is recognized and adequately amended by the proposed amendments to the Law. Tufa is a natural treasure we need to protect. All countries in the region have protected tufa, only in our country it is extracted because it is a very good material for insulation and is used in construction - said Đapo.

She adds that another problem is the non-existence of the FBiH Institute for Nature Protection, a professional institution in the Federation of BiH, which is a systemic gap in the protection of natural values and environmental protection of the Federation of BiH.

The amendments should also improve inspections

The amendments stipulate that the term "Red Book" is not used in the Law, which is a recommendation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and that the degree of endangerment of species should be assessed by the Red Lists.

In the provisions of the existing Law on Nature Protection, it has been proposed to add new articles of the Law which more precisely regulate the work of the supervisory service in protected areas.

The amendments should also improve inspections.

The mentioned amendments to the Law on Nature Protection were adopted by the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH last week in the form of a draft. It is necessary for the House of Representatives to do the same, in order for the draft to be sent for public discussion, and then to draft a bill on amendments to the Law on Nature Protection.