FAQ · Environment & Climate 18

Serbia features various types of protected areas within its borders. These include national parks and biosphere reserves that help preserve the country's natural environment. The nation also maintains protections for its diverse wildlife, including various birds and mammals. Additionally, the flora and fauna are part of the country's ecological landscape. These protected zones are key components of the geography and ecology of Serbia.

The reservation contains over 600 species of plants, several of which are listed in the Serbia's Red Book of Endangered Species. These endangered natural rarities include the European white water-lily, yellow waterlily, and water soldier. Other notable species are the fringed water-lily, marsh nettle, sweet flag, and aquatic bladderwort. You can also find the endemic Pannonian cornflower and the white orchid in this area. Additionally, a rare and endangered marshland bio-community known as Acoro-Glyceretum maximae is located in the Valjevac section.

Information about the flora of Serbia is available through various geographical and ecological studies. You can explore topics such as the ecoregions and the ecology of the country. There are also specific resources regarding protected areas and national parks. Additionally, the biosphere reserves provide insight into the natural environment. These categories cover the diverse plant life found within the Republic of Serbia.

Serbia has seen various fluctuations in CO2 emissions per capita since 1985. In the late 1980s, emissions were recorded at levels above 7.0. There was a notable decrease in the early 1990s, reaching a low point of approximately 4.6 in 1999. Since then, the figures have fluctuated between roughly 5.1 and 7.1. Recent data from 2024 shows the level at approximately 6.23.

Waste dump sites are identified as one of the main sources of outdoor air pollution in Serbia. This pollution contributes to air quality issues where concentrations of pollutants regularly exceed levels that protect human health. According to a WHO report, Serbia has higher estimates of premature death due to air pollution than most countries in the European Union. These environmental challenges are part of a broader range of issues including air pollution and deforestation. Several environmental organizations have protested the government's handling of these environmental matters.

The NATO bombings of 1999 caused lasting damage to the environment of Serbia. During these events, several thousand tons of toxic chemicals stored in targeted factories were released into the soil, atmosphere, and water basins. This release affected both humans and the local wildlife. These environmental issues are among several challenges facing the country, alongside air pollution and deforestation. Some environmental organizations have protested the government's handling of these various issues.

In January, some municipalities in Serbia faced heavy snow. This weather event left at least 6,000 households without electricity. As a result, 11 municipalities proclaimed the situation as an emergency. Macut declined to proclaim a state of emergency because he stated that local governments took everything under control.

The mountain Tara is located in western Serbia and is part of the Dinaric Alps. It stands at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,590 meters above sea level. The highest peak on the mountain is Zborište, which reaches 1,544 meters. Within Tara National Park, altitudes vary from 250 to 1,591 meters above sea level. This mountain area is a very popular tourist centre featuring dense forests and steep cliffs.

Serbia possesses significant biodiversity despite covering only 1.2% of Europe. The country is home to 74% of European bird fauna and 67% of mammal fauna. It also hosts 51% of fish fauna and 40% of reptile and amphibian fauna. Additionally, 39% of European vascular flora can be found here. This diverse nature is conserved within 362 protected areas across the country.

The Karađorđevo hunting ground in northwest Serbia holds historical significance due to a meeting held there on 25 March 1991. During this meeting, the presidents of SR Croatia and SR Serbia met to discuss the ongoing Yugoslav crisis. The exact content of their discussion remains unknown because there were no witnesses or transcripts. Some politicians claim the leaders discussed partitioning Bosnia and Herzegovina along ethnic lines. However, others deny that such an agreement ever took place.

The construction of the Iron Gate I and II hydroelectric dams significantly impacted fish migration and populations. Because engineers did not build fish ladders, large sturgeon species were blocked from reaching their traditional upstream spawning areas. This led to a massive decrease in sturgeon numbers, bringing them close to extinction. Additionally, the remaining open waterway in Serbia became subject to massive overfishing after 1984. Illegal fishing also increased during the period of international sanctions in the 1990s. Consequently, the catch of caviar producing fish fell from around 100 tons to much lower amounts.

The Uvac reserve is home to a diverse range of wildlife including 219 plant species and 24 species of fish. Mammalian fauna such as wolves, bears, and foxes inhabit the area, with some being declared rare and endangered in Serbia. The main attraction is the avifauna, which features 172 bird species. Most notably, the griffon vulture is a key inhabitant that provides natural recycling within the ecosystem. To save these birds, an area of the Uvac gorge was protected in 1971. This conservation effort helped the population grow from a few individuals to one of the largest colonies in Europe.

Environmental organizations in Serbia have been organizing various protests against the creation of a lithium mine in the Morava Valley. Groups such as the Alliance of Environmental Organisations of Serbia and Ecological Uprising have held demonstrations in several locations including Jagodina, Belgrade, and Gornji Milanovac. Some activists are specifically opposing Rio Tinto and have demanded that the government publish all related documents to the public. These protests have also involved high-school students and associations like We Won't Give Jadar. Demonstrations have taken place in numerous cities and villages across the country.

Košutnjak is a park-forest and urban neighborhood located 6 km southwest from downtown Belgrade. It forms the largest green massif in the immediate vicinity of the city's urban tissue. Along with the adjoining Topčider, it is colloquially styled as Belgrade's oxygen factory. This forested area was envisioned in the 1923 Belgrade general plan to create a continuous green space. The entire forest complex covers an area of 330 ha.

The provided information does not mention any beaches or coral locations within Serbia. The text lists various beaches in the Bahamas, such as Cabbage Beach and Coral Harbour Beach. It describes beaches as landforms along shorelines made of particles like sand, gravel, or pebbles. Some beach particles can be biological in origin, including mollusc shells or coralline algae. However, there is no mention of coral protection or coral in Serbia in the reference.

Zasavica, a bog in the Mačva region of west-central Serbia, is a major wildlife refuge and one of the last authentically preserved wetlands in the country. In the 2000s beavers were successfully reintroduced there after having been extinct on those lands for 100 years. The marsh covers 11 point 5 square kilometres and is about 2 point 5 metres deep at normal water levels, though it can reach 10 metres. On Suva Planina, 1,261 plant species had been recorded by 2015, about one third of Serbia's flora, including the endemic Serbian rose and Pančić's columbine. The mountain's counted animals include 259 insect species, 139 bird species and 25 mammal species, among them the golden eagle, wolf, roe deer and wild boar. Feral horses on the Divna Gorica range also roam above 1,600 metres.

The Strawberry Tree, developed by the Serbian company Strawberry Energy, is described as the world's first public solar charger for mobile devices. It is a solar and WiFi station fixed in streets, parks and squares so people can charge devices free while outside, and it also offers free wireless internet nearby. Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity, batteries keep it working for more than 14 days without sunshine, and sixteen cords fit phones, cameras and similar devices. Miloš Milisavljević, founder of Strawberry Energy, developed the idea, and the first unit was installed in October 2010 in the main square of Obrenovac. In the first 40 days, 10,000 chargings were measured, and a year later Telekom Serbia helped place a second charger in Belgrade's Zvezdara municipality. The design won first place in the Consuming category at the European Commission's Sustainable Energy Week 2011 competition in Brussels, and by 2013 eleven Strawberry Trees had been installed.

Serbia is described as one of the few European countries with a very high exposure to natural hazards, and earthquakes are listed together with storms, floods and droughts. A devastating earthquake struck Serbia in 2010. After that earthquake, drinking water under the Jazak name was sent to Kraljevo, according to an account of Naftna Industrija Srbije. The same hazard note says potential floods, especially in Central Serbia, threaten more than 500 larger settlements and 16,000 square kilometres. The most disastrous floods it names were in May 2014, when 57 people died and damage of over 1 point 5 billion euros was inflicted.