Wetlands in Serbia: Past, present and future

Within the territory of the Republic of Serbia, most wetland areas are situated in the north of the state. This is predominantly because of relief features which comprise lowland terrain intersected by the alluvial plains of large rivers such as the Danube, Tisza and Sava. The area also represents the southern part of the Pannonian plain. Extensive works on land reclamation – drainage of wetlands and canalizing rivers, contributed to the formation of large plots of fertile arable land – cultural steppe. Whereas in the 18th century, wetlands were covering 50% of the territory, nowadays remaining wetlands occupy only around 5%. However, these represent significant biodiversity islands and due to this are declared as protected RAMSAR areas of international importance. There are 11 RAMSAR areas in Serbia, of which 8 are in the territory of the Vojvodina Province. Despite protection these are still under pressure from pollution originating from outside borders, climate changes and invasive species. Monitoring water quality at three wetland special nature reserves in the period 2015–2019 revealed that in most cases it was below required water quality standards. In response to these changing conditions, managers of protected areas in Serbia are conducting active measures of protection. Finally, wetlands provide many benefits, and those could be designated as ecosystem services. The concept is helpful for better estimation of benefits, and making comprehensive future planning on how to maximize its benefits and simultaneously achieve sustainability goals. The ecosystem services–based methodology developed during the IDES project, could be useful tool for future planning of management activities.