Cross-border Challenges and Community Resilience

Environmental and management challengesA common challenge for both river basins is the low level of involvementof local communities in activities related to water quality.

Environmental challenges include:

● a lack of water use monitoring;● a high level of pollution from solid waste and wastewater;● uncontrolled gravel extraction;● illegal constructions and poor land management on river banks;● erosion and sediments in the hydropower plant lakes; and● extensive floods and water scarcity due to climate change impacts.

Management challenges include:● weak water management bodies; ● limited number of local staff and low capacities; ● poor information flow from national to regional level; ● lack of coordination among actors; and● lack of, or outdated, management plans.

The CRESSIDA project covers the basins of two importantrivers in South Eastern Europe (SEE): the Drin and the Drina.The Drin is the second biggest outflow to the Adriatic Sea(after the river Po, Italy), and the longest international rivershared among five countries. The Drina is one of the mostimportant tributaries of the Sava River, which is the secondbiggest river basin of the Danube River (after the Tisza). It isan international river basin shared between three countries.

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Key CRESSIDA activitiesCAPACITY BUILDING● The CRESSIDA programme provides a theoretical framework for the integration

of sustainable development into policy making and water management at thelocal level in order to enable better transboundary watershed management.Examples of best practices and successfully implemented policies andpractices in the U.S., Europe and Western Balkan countries are shared througha series of workshops and training courses, equipping participants withappropriate tools to tackle national and local challenges. Participants are ableto build networks with other professionals for the long-term exchange ofknowledge and strategies. Specific knowledge is disseminated on topics suchas stream quality assessment and local resilience, and scientific tools related tocommunity engagement and data gathering are introduced.

PILOT ACTIONS AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL ● The aim is to provide technical assistance and financial support to

beneficiary communities to implement small-scale pilot actions that applyscience-based tools and methodologies in the form of “learning by doing”.

● Twelve pilot interventions have been carried out to improve the capacity oflocal monitoring networks; assess the ecological status of water bodies; anddevelop river basin management plans and programmes of measures, mostinvolving two to four neighbouring communities who organise commonactivities and share experiences.

Outcomes ● Increased knowledge of regional challenges through mechanisms for

cooperation and exchange.● Improved cooperation among communities and decision makers across

borders, resulting in regional water management solutions.● Greater application of scientific tools in 18 beneficiary communities.● Greater awareness in local communities of responsibilities towards cross-

border/neighbouring/downstream communities, and changes in behaviourthat can reduce pollution and lead to better water quality.

The Drina basinThe Drina River is 346 km long and forms alarge section of the border between Bosnia andHerzegovina and Serbia. Belonging to theDanube River Basin, it is the longest tributary ofthe Sava and the longest karst river in theDinaric Alps.

The Drina is formed by the confluence of theTara and Piva Rivers, both of which flow fromMontenegro and converge on the border ofBosnia and Herzegovina, in the villages of Humand Šćepan Polje. Due to the inhospitableterrain and lack of good rail and road links, thebasin is sparsely populated. Apart from manysmall villages, the main settlements near theDrina River that are beneficiaries of theCRESSIDA project are:

● Mojkovac, Bijelo Polje and Berane inMontenegro;

● Foča, Goražde and Novo Goražde in Bosniaand Herzegovina; and

● Ljubovija, Mali Zvornik and Bogatič inSerbia.

The Drin basinThe Drin basin comprises the sub-basins of fivewater bodies, each shared by two or threecountries: the Drin and its two majortributaries, the Black Drin and the White Drin,as well as the Buna/Bojana River; and Prespa,Ohrid and Skadar/Shkoder lakes.

The basin covers an area of about 19,000 km2 inAlbania, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, Greece, Kosovo* and Montenegro.It has a mountainous relief, the highest peaksbeing over 2,500 m, with flat land at the coast.The population of around 1.5 million people relyon the basin’s water resources for drinkingwater, agriculture, fishery, industry, hydropowerand tourism. The basin hosts complexecosystems with unique biotopes and manyindigenous species, important from both aEuropean and an international conservationperspective. It also sustains coastal and marineecosystems in the Adriatic.

Cities and villages near the Drin that areCRESSIDA beneficiaries include:

● Ohrid, Debarca and Debar in the formerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

● Rahovec, Istog and Gjakova in Kosovo*; and● Peshkopia, Kukes and Shkoder in Albania.

Community toolboxWASTE DEBRIS TRACKERThe Waste Debris Tracker mobile application and tool allows allcitizens to help make a difference by providing an easy way for themto inform institutions and volunteer organisations about the presenceof rubbish in rivers and tributaries. Users can easily track and logitems of debris from a list of common items found on river banks orin the water. The app can be used by citizens, scientists and students.

LOCAL RESILIENCE INDEX The Community Resilience Index (CRI) is intended for use bycommunities to examine how prepared they are for storms, floodsand other natural hazards. Community leaders can use the tool toguide discussions about the capacity of their community to survive,adapt and grow in the face of major incidents. The tool offers asimple, inexpensive method to identify weaknesses that a givencommunity needs to address in order to improve its response to,and recovery from, natural hazards.

WATERSHED INTEGRITY INDEXThis index enables communities to characterise and assess riskfactors to the biological integrity, ecological integrity, health,conditions, resilience and sustainability of watersheds. The toolidentifies the key functions ensured by unimpaired watersheds, andhighlights risk factors (i.e. human-related stressors) that are knownto interfere with and degrade the structure and functions ofwatersheds. The tool is intended for use by community, regionaland transboundary managers to address a range of stressors in awatershed.

STREAM ASSESSMENTSStream assessments enable a basic level of stream health evaluation.They can be successfully carried out by conservationists with littlebiological or hydrological training. Assessments are accomplishedvisually and are based on the physical conditions within theassessment area. The tool can be used by communities to identifylocal stressors to water resources, as well as conservationopportunities.

Building Local Community Resilience for the Sustainable Development ofInternational Watersheds such as the Drin and Drina Watersheds (CRESSIDA)

Implementation period: 2014–2018

Implemented by: The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (www.rec.org)

Supported by: The US Environmental Protection Agency (USD 495,000)

Other funding from partners and beneficiaries: around USD 100,000

Geographical scope: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia

REC Project Manager: Mihallaq Qirjo (MQirjo@rec.org)

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on theKosovo declaration of independence