Livno karst field and Busko lake (29790)
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1d

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Livanjsko polje and Busko lake

Central coordinates: Latitude: 43.8649, Longitude: 16.8252

Elevation (m): 699 to 991

Area of KBA (km²): 458.80852

Protected area coverage (%): 100.00

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: From Ramsar Information Sheet (2007): The entire Dinaric karst covers 70,400 sq km, within some 130 of its karst fields covering only 1,350 sq km (Bozicevic 1992). Livanjsko Polje is the largest karst polje in the Dinaric karst (410 sq km). Besides, little is known that Livanjsko Polje is the largest periodically flooded karst field in the world (Ritter-Studenicka & Grgic 1971). It has permanent streams, sinkholes, estavellas and karst springs above (Bistrica waterfall) ore at the polje level (e.g. Sturba, Zabljak). A series of temporary streams (e.g. Jaruga, Plovuca) and karst lakes (Mali and Veliki Zdralovac – big and small “Crane Swamps”) is present, too. Although the southern part of the polje is used for energy production, it is still regularly flooded on 230 sq km – 60% of its surface (55 sq km big Busko reservoir as the former flooded area not included). The diversity of its fauna and flora, as well as the size of the wetlands habitats are exceptional for the Dinarides and even the nearest (30-40 km) eastern Adriatic. The position of Livanjsko Polje, as the largest peatland in the Balkans, is remarkable as well. A brief history of the polje from its discovery by naturalists to the present day and the main human impacts can be summarized as follows: After 1871, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy began to carry out an extensive research into Bosnia and Herzegovina by its naturalists. In 1888, for example, it was visited by Othmar Reiser, who in his famous work Ornis balcanica eventually gave (in 1939) the first ornithological and brief botanical description of Livanjsko Polje (Reiser 1939). In the same year, “Tusnica Coal Mines” began to operate near Livno (black and brown coal) and peat began to be excavated at a small scale. Extensive water regulation plans for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s karst fields were made (Ballif 1896) and the first works in the peatland area south of Livno (called Jagma) started in 1887 (Vlahinic 1986). In the 1970s, a large-scale pet excavation started in Zdralovac – northern part of the polje (Obratil 2006). In 1973, Busko reservoir (55 km) with canals and Lipa accumulation was built in the south-eastern part of the polje. In the same year, the Orlovac power plant in Croatia was also built. During and after the last war (1991 – 1995), human use of the polje was heavily reduced (e.g. minefields). However, several new destructive projects for Livanjsko Polje are being prepared. Together with the transboundary Sava wetlands and its Ramsar sites Bardaca (BiH), Crna Mlaka (HR) and the Nature Park Hutvo Blato (BiH), Livanjsko Polje is the most important wintering, migration and breeding site for waterbirds and raptors in Bosnia and Herzegovina – it is in fact the keysite of Central European Flyway. One of the most fascinating facts is that that the polje is surrounded by little (extensive grazing) or no human impacted karstland. Dry grasslands, peatland pastures, marshes, wet meadows and alluvial forest (!) form, on the basis of the water gradient, the characteristic polje landscape. The woodlands of Livanjsko Polje are the largest karst alluvial forests. The most important ecological features of Livanjsko Polje is the fact that in the very same year it is possible to catch fish and to mow the meadows in the same place! For centuries, Livanjsko Polje has had a significant impact on the people and Livno Council. The famous Livno cheese (livanjski sir) was a trademark and a very expensive product before the last war – it was simply the best karst cheese in the world and an indicator of the extensive meadow and pastureland preservation. The south-eastern part (Busko Blato) has been transformed to an reservoir.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mediterranean Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and global threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.

Delineation rationale: Shape file provided by Borut Stumberger (EuroNatur) - based on recently designated Ramsar site.

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Wetlands(Inland)	100

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Small-holder farming	Only in the future
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Only in the future
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Only in the future
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use	Large dams	Only in the future

Additional information

References: Stumberger, B., Schneider-Jacoby, M. and Gotovac, M. (2007) Ramsar Information Sheet for Livanjsko Polje. Available onlline at: http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Database/Searchforsites/tabid/765/language/en-US/Default.aspx