At the international conference “Green Destination”, held in Tallinn, Estonia, the protected habitat “Tisina” near Samac was declared one of the 100 top stories of green destinations in the last year. The municipality of Samac, in cooperation with GIZ and Green Vision in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), started the process of certifying the Tisina reservoir as a green destination, one of the five destinations in BiH.
Untouched nature, diverse and autochthonous flora and fauna – 130 species of birds, endangered species of amphibians and 270 species of wetland plants have made Tisina a rare ecosystem, attractive for scientific researchers. And in order for it to become an attractive tourist destination, it is necessary to arrange the infrastructure, build additional facilities, bungalows, parking, get boats, install several viewpoints, arrange and light the paths.
“We worked on silting the existing water surface in order to provide inflows rich in oxygen, so that animal and plant life would not die,” says Vedrana Mihaljcic from the Spatial Planning Department of the Municipality of Samac.
On the initiative of the Society for Biodiversity Research and Protection, the Government of Republika Srpska (RS) declared this area a protected habitat four years ago. Independent researchers often come to Tisina to investigate wetland birds, plants and fish.
“Tisina is an atypical wetland habitat created by hydro processes, where a horseshoe-shaped pond was created from the former course of the Sava River. Here there are six types of habitats that are protected at the European Union (EU) level,” points out Jovica Sjenicic from the Society for Biodiversity Research and Protection.
The residents of Samac are proud that Tisina is among the 100 green destinations in the world.
300 foreign tourists visited Tisina in the past year. Samac is a transit area and it is a chance for tourists to stop by and visit this natural rarity. The mayor of Samac says that they invested 60,000 BAM in the infrastructure. He expects the help of institutions at the level of RS and BiH and a more serious approach to the tourist potential. Especially now that they are among the world’s eco destinations.
“I think this location allows a serious number of tourists from Europe to come here. In this direction, the municipality cannot finance some five projects worth 300,000 BAM on its own. We will continue to apply for international projects, but we need the support of our institutions.” stressed the mayor of Samac, Djordje Milicevic.
Due to the increased interest of tourists in ecological destinations, the EU and the Government of Germany are co-financing a project for sustainable tourism in BiH, which includes, in addition to Tisina – Bosanska Krupa, the Kozara National Park, the Skakavac Nature Monument near Sarajevo and Trebinje.
