Project Overview

The project focused on the only coastal municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina — Neum — a small but ecologically and economically important area. It includes a 226 km² land area and a 12.2 km² marine zone along the Adriatic Sea. Known for its natural beauty and cultural heritage, Neum is a growing tourism destination and home to just over 4,600 residents (2013 census). The town’s development is mainly concentrated along the narrow coastal strip.

Neum faces several environmental and development pressures:

  • Low coverage of protected areas despite valuable natural habitats like the “maquis” vegetation on the Klek peninsula
  • Tourism pressures, including illegal construction and degraded landscapes
  • Pollution risks in the semi-enclosed Neum-Klek Bay, with limited monitoring
  • Limited waste and water infrastructure, including non-waterproof septic tanks and unmanaged stormwater runoff
  • Underused aquaculture potential and small-scale fisheries facing environmental constraints
  • Lack of environmental data and weak institutional frameworks for integrated management

 

Main objectives

CAMP B&H aimed to:

  • Establish mechanisms for sustainable coastal development
  • Support B&H’s ratification and implementation of the ICZM Protocol
  • Promote integrated and participatory planning
  • Build institutional capacities at all governance levels
  • Raise public awareness about the fragility of coastal ecosystems
  • Transfer ICZM tools and knowledge to national stakeholders

 

Key Results

The project included both horizontal (cross-cutting) and site-specific components. The Coastal Plan is the main deliverable, including proposals or solutions for:

  • Institutional mechanisms for ICZM
  • Protection of marine habitats and natural areas
  • Monitoring of the marine and coastal environment
  • National contingency plan for marine pollution
  • Promotion of sustainable coastal–hinterland tourism
  • Climate change adaptation strategy

CAMP B&H helped strengthen cooperation across local, cantonal, federal, and national levels. It laid the groundwork for integrated coastal planning and reinforced Bosnia and Herzegovina’s commitment to international agreements, including the Barcelona Convention, ICZM Protocol, and UN Sustainable Development Goals. The project also introduced modern planning tools and fostered knowledge sharing across sectors.

 

Follow-up

Post-project activities focused on implementing the Coastal Plan, i.e. strengthening institutional mechanisms by proposing the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), drafting the coastal law that has already been completed and presented to the IMC for establishment, to support Neum’s development while safeguarding its unique coastal and marine environment.