Novi Sad - City of wet areas - Accreditation for pride and obligation

Novi Sad became the first Balkan city with Ramsar Wetland City status, covering Kovilj-Petrovaradin Marsh and Begečka Jama – both pride and duty.

As the first city in the Balkans and in this part of Europe, last summer Novi Sad acquired the prestigious Ramsar Wetland City accreditation in the world, becoming part of a network of 74 cities in the world that recognize the importance of preserving wetland habitats. The significance of this recognition for the preservation and promotion of natural resources on the territory of Novi Sad was the topic of the conference and panel discussion "Novi Sad - City of Wetlands - Ramsar Wetland City", organized as part of the Ecology Fair.

- The Ramsar Wetland City accreditation means to us and what it means in our efforts to preserve wetlands and to improve them through various projects - emphasized the member of the City Council for Ecology, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection Vanja Petković. - For the territory of the city of Novi Sad, we formed a working body that has already developed a short-term action plan. A medium-term action plan is being developed, and we plan to create a long-term action plan as well. We strive every day and do everything in order to be in a situation where six years from the moment we received the accreditation we manage to defend and keep it.

Reminding that by receiving the Ramsar Wetland City accreditation, the city of Novi Sad found itself in the select group of 74 cities in the world that recognize wetland habitats as natural allies in the fight against climate change, floods and water pollution, Vanja Petković pointed out that the accreditation of Novi Sad opens the door to promotion, cooperation and exchange of experiences and examples of good practice with other cities and experts, and it is also an opportunity to involve other republican and provincial institutions in the project.

The protection and improvement of wet habitats also have a touristic dimension, added Vanja Petković.

- Ecotourism is very important to us, to attract as many citizens as possible and for them to feel the importance of wetlands and their direct positive impact on nature - concluded Vanja Petković.

Nikola Stojnić, Head of the Department for Ecological Network and Biodiversity at the Provincial Institute for Nature Protection, pointed out that what makes the city of Novi Sad exceptional is that there is wild living nature in the form of wetlands in the immediate vicinity of the urban area. In the territory of Novi Sad, according to Stojnić, there are also rare species of birds, such as the black stork or the white-tailed eagle. Even the popular Novi Sad bathing area Strand is shared with bathers by little white herons and water voles.

The accreditation of Novi Sad as a city of wetlands includes the Special Nature Reserve "Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski Rit" and the Nature Park "Begečka Jama", as well as wetlands located along the coastal zone on the territory of the city.

Nature Park "Begečka Jama" received the status of a protected area in 1999, and from 2022 the park is managed by JVP "Vode Vojvodina".

- Begečka pit is specific for a number of species of fish and birds, which is why it received the status of a protected area. The advantages of Ramsar Wetland City accreditation for Begečka Jama are that we will be able to carry out more research and use funds from international funds to finance nature protection. For the city of Novi Sad itself, all of this has great touristic significance, especially if you bear in mind that the Begečka Jama is located on the European Danube cycling route. Why should JVP "Vode Vojvodina" as the manager of the Begečka pit and the City of Novi Sad not take advantage of this and keep numerous cyclists and introduce them to our natural beauty - says Jelena Kešelj, head of the department for management and use of natural resources in JVP "Vode Vojvodina".

The special nature reserve "Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski rit", which is managed by JP "Vojvodinašume", has been on the list of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention since 2012. Before that, due to its exceptional natural values, it was declared an internationally important bird habitat (IBA) in 1989, in 2004 it was on the list of protected areas dependent on water and important for the Danube basin (ICPDR), and a year later the SRP "Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski rit" received the status of an internationally important plant area (IPA).

According to Aleksandra Vujasinović from JP "Vojvodinašuma", the SRP "Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski rit" has earned the epithet of an internationally recognized natural asset of exceptional importance due to its wealth of flora and fauna, which consists of 443 species of plants, more than 200 different species of birds, 33 species of mammals, 26 species of fish, 11 species of amphibians and seven species of reptiles.