Forest and Mountain Protected Areas Project

The Global Environmental Objective is to strengthen conservation and management of the country’s globally significant forest and mountain landscapes. The Development Objective of the Forest and Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Project (FMBCP) is to increase the area in forest and mountain ecosystems under formal protection status, and to develop mechanisms in order to conserve these ecosystems while ensuring that these natural assets provide a basis for improved livelihoods in rural areas and for increased tourism revenues. The proposed Forest and Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Project will achieve these objectives through: (a) the expansion and strengthening of the protected areas network; (b) the restoration or enhancement of the capacity of national institutions and other actors to manage protected areas and to preserve biodiversity within production landscapes (forest and agricultural land); (c) more sustainable management of resources outside protected areas (integrated land-use of productive landscapes); and (d) the integration of BiH into transnational biodiversity conservation initiatives. While doing so, the project is expected to provide benefits to local communities through improved livelihoods and increased revenues from tourism.