Organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, an international scientific and professional conference entitled “Strategic Determinants of Sustainability in the Water Sector” was held in Čapljina. The conference focused on the challenges of sustainability and climate resilience, with particular emphasis on the Neretva Delta, a transboundary area with exceptional natural heritage recognised in international frameworks. As highlighted at the conference, terrestrial aquatic ecosystems are disappearing three times faster than forests, emphasising the urgency of action, especially for transboundary aquatic ecosystems. There are over 310 transboundary river and lake basins worldwide, and more than 60% of them lack an appropriate governance and co-operation framework. While the Neretva Delta is rich in Mediterranean wetlands and preserved coastal lagoons, it struggles with climate extremes, water salinisation and problems related to the quality and quantity of water resources.
The aim of the symposium was to discuss how the demands of nature conservation and water quality in a sensitive and valuable ecosystem can be reconciled with the requirements of social development and economic growth, particularly in the face of ever-increasing climate risks.
The technical part of the symposium began with an invited lecture by Dr Mario Šiljeg, Associate Professor, on the topic: “Implementation of water quality monitoring at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute” In his lecture, Šiljeg focused in particular on the risks identified by the Institute’s regular monitoring of the Neretva Delta and other karst rivers in Croatia.
This was followed by a panel discussion entitled “Challenges of sustainability and climate resilience of karst and water ecosystems”, moderated by Dr Svjetlana Stanić-Koštroman, Professor with the participation of Dr Mirna Habuda-Stanić, Professor, Dr Anita Dedić, Professor, Dr Ivan Vučković, and Dr Irena Rozić.
During the invited lecture and panel discussion, it was emphasised that water is much more than a resource – it is the key to sustainable development and the survival of ecosystems. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to develop integrated approaches that can ensure the preservation of natural heritage while enabling economic growth. Local communities were recognised as key actors in water management, as they are closest to the real problems and solutions and their active participation in these processes is seen as crucial to achieving meaningful change. The panellists spoke about major challenges such as eutrophication, salinisation, loss of biodiversity and the spread of invasive species and agreed that climate change is significantly accelerating the negative impacts of these pressures. In this context, the need to strengthen cross-sectoral, inter-institutional and transboundary cooperation to achieve sustainable management of water resources in the Neretva Delta was emphasised.
