Save the Blue Heart of Europe - A campaign for the protection of Balkan Rivers
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Una Valley – Feasibility Study
This feasibility study examines how the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) concept could be applied to the Una Valley, spanning Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia, as a complementary layer of protection to a Wild River National Park designation for the river corridor. Where the Wild River National Park concept focuses strictly on the river system and its immediate floodplain, the Biosphere Reserve framework extends protection to the entire valley landscape of 9,645 km² — integrating the pristine river corridor with surrounding settlements, cultural heritage, agriculture, and forests into a single cross-border conservation and sustainable development framework. The study identifies potential core areas, buffer zones, and transition areas, assesses key pressures including illegal construction, unsustainable tourism, hydropower development, and a proposed nuclear waste facility, and outlines the steps required for a joint UNESCO nomination by both governments. It concludes that the Una Valley is highly suitable for designation as a transnational UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, offering a second phase of protection for one of Europe's last wild river systems.