Sava TIES Preserving Sava River Basin Habitats through Transnational Management of Invasive Alien Species

With a catchment area of over 97,800 km2 and a length of 926 km, flowing through four countries, the river Sava is the largest tributary of the Danube by discharge. The river Sava is an important natural ecological corridor, its importance reflecting in the size and number of protected areas. River corridors, vital parts of ecological networks, are proved to be pathways of invasive alien species (IAS) expansions, demanding transboundary river-basin wide approach.

IAS are plants, animals and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem but are primarily human introduced. Invasive alien plants are spreading uncontrolled in the Sava River basin, having the negative effect or even pushing out other native species, reducing soil fertility and cultivable agricultural surfaces, causing major problems in flood control and much more. To conclude – they change important European natural habitats, destroy the corridor connectivity and are very difficult to eradicate. This is not only a nature protection problem; they also have a negative effect on human health and cause major economic losses. It is estimated that the damage IAS have on the global economy is more than USD 1,4 trillion per year, representing nearly 5% of the world economy.

Sava TIES is regionally significant project that will be implemented in all four countries of the Sava River basin: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The main goal is to find an effective solution for permanent eradication of invasive alien plants, to reduce habitat fragmentation and improve the connectivity of the transnational ecological corridor. The emphasis is on cross-sectoral cooperation, as we can only achieve desired results through cooperation of different stakeholders, national/local governments and local inhabitants. As part of the project, different methods of effectively removing or eradication of IAS plants such as Japanese knotweed, False indigo bush, and Tree of heaven which are already causing serious damage in the Sava River basin will be tested on seven pilot areas in four countries. This will be the first ever attempt to tackle this demanding issue on a transnational corridor level in the region, with lessons learned bringing benefits to the wider Danube region and beyond.

The significance of this project lies in the strengthening and improving Sava Parks network of protected areas, established in 2015 to jointly respond to nature conservation challenges in the Sava River basin. Its long-term goal is to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the river Sava from its source to confluence.

Invasive alien species are the main challenge of biodiversity conservation in the 21st century. They are also our main challenge! Follow us on our official website and on social networks. Visit beautiful Sava River; take photos, publish them… and don't forget to use #SavaTIES!