Third Regional Training was held within the SVAP Project in Montenegro

The third regional training on “Climate change impacts on water resources in local communities” was organized in Podgorica (Montenegro) form 07-09 October 2024. Participants in the training were representatives of municipalities participating in the project, water agencies, hydrometeorological institutes and environmental CSOs from Albania, BiH, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo, with the presence of donors (representatives of the US Forestry Service – Department of Agriculture).

The aim of the training was to:

  • Present initiatives, activities and strategies for adapting to the impacts of climate change on water resources at the local level in the project’s beneficiary countries
  • Present the experiences and tools that are applied in the USA at the local level to assess the impact of climate change on water resources
  • Present the Nexus approach to energy, water and land use to strengthen resilience to climate change
  • Networking among stakeholders at the regional level in order to plan joint future activities

The opening session featured welcome speeches by REC Montenegro and USDA Forest Service Watershed Program Manager. The workshop was opened by Ms. Srna Sudar, Director of REC Montenegro. She outlined welcomed participants and outlined the workshop’s objectives, briefly summarized the two-day agenda, and delineated the organization of activities. She was followed by Ms. Kelsey Aho, USDA Forest Service Watershed Program Manager for Europe and Eurasia, who, on behalf of project team and USDA Forest Service welcomed participants and summarized project achievements.

Within the Session 1, Ms. Lejla Šuman, the Director of REC Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, provided an overview of the training objectives, developments and major current activities as well as some actions implemented at local community level.

Session 2 was dedicated to presentation of initiatives, activities and strategies for adaptation and the impact of climate change on water resources in Montenegro. dr. Ivana Vojinović, from Center for Climate Change, Natural Resources and Energy University Donja Gorica (CCCNRE) gave an overview of the water resources of Montenegro and the risks brought by climate change, and presented the experiences, challenges and successful projects that have been implemented in Montenegro which aimed at adaptation to the effects of climate change.

Session 3 was moderated by Kelsey Aho (Forest Service Watershed Program Manager for Europe and Eurasia) and Voislav Todorov (Forest Service Balkans Project Coordinator). They presented models and tools used by the USFS for climate change impact on waters and stream networks. Specifically, participants had the opportunity to learn about the Geomorphologic Road Analysis and Inventory Package Tool (GRAIP) used in the USA to analyze the impact of climate change on water in terms of the impact of road infrastructure on erosion (landslides) and the delivery of sediment to rivers in forested river basins.

Session 4 was dedicated to the presentation of models and tools that are used in WB countries for better watershed management. Each participating country shared experience and current capacities in terms of platforms for hydrological forecasting and early warning systems and other tools and models applied and used by these institutions.

Session 5 was focused on Energy, Water and Land-use Nexus approach for strengthening climate resilience. In this session, participants learned about experience gained and discuss findings and lessons learned about intersectoral cooperation at regional or basin scale and draw some recommendations on how to integrate the nexus approach also into national strategies and policies.

Session 6 is moderated by CSO representatives from BiH and Montenegro. The participation of civil society organizations in activities related to climate change and environmental protection is more than important, especially in conditions of weak administrative ability and capacity or corrupt government. In this regard, CSOs appear as a corrective factor, develop networks, create alliances and partnerships and effectively participate in decision-making processes. As part of the session CSO activists in water management and climate change, Mrs. Emina Veljović, director of Aarhus Center Sarajevo and Mrs. Azra Vuković, director of Greenhome moderated session and presented their experience. On that occasion, the initiatives, campaigns and success stories of CSOs from BiH and Montenegro that were implemented by these two organizations were presented, and the strategic role and importance of CSOs in mitigating climate change was highlighted.

Session 7 was dedicated to presentation of US experience on Post Wildland Fire Restoration in Oregon.   Kate Meyer presented the case of the restoration of the South Fork McKenzie River where activities were undertaken to restore natural processes and functions (dynamism) to the river after the fires that occurred in the area and where it reconnects river valley in order to strengthen the river’s resistance to climate change.

The second day was dedicated to forest fires and their impact on water resources. On that occasion, participants visited Municipality Kolašin and toured the Tara River basin. During the visit, participants visited two locations where there was a large fire in the state beech forests. The fires were caused by improper management of the private forest complex, where the forest order was completely destroyed by excessive logging in the private forest, and unplanned logging without taking into account the impact and consequences and on the existing road infrastructure, which resulted in the disruption and change of the water flow of the Tara river basin in that area. Our host was Mr. Srđan Šašić, coordinator of the project “Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans”