Partner: The European Union, in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implementing the UNDP in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional financial resources provided by the governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia

Period: 2025-2026.

Project leader: Dr. Momir Paunović, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS

Team members from IBISS:
Dr. Tanja Vukov, Department of Evolutionary Biology IBISS
Dr. Marija Ilić, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Nikola Marinković, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Božica Vasiljević, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Bojana Tubić, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Stefan Anđus, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Jelena Stanković, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Irena Todorović, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Maja Raković, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Jelena Tomović, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Nataša Popović, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Ana Atanacković, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Jelena Đuknić, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Katarina Zorić, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Dr. Stoimir Kolarević, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Andrea Novaković, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS
Tamara Mitić, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection IBISS

External advisors:
MSc Nikola Kovačević, MapSoft Ltd.
Dr. Željko Cvijetinović, MapSoft Ltd.
MSc Ivan Pušica, MapSoft Ltd.
MSc Mirko Labović, MapSoft Ltd.
MSc Nikola Stančić, MapSoft Ltd.

Abstract

The project “Development of a National Wetland Inventory (NWI)” is aimed at developing a unified and standardized system for the identification, mapping, classification, assessment, and long-term monitoring of wetlands in the Republic of Serbia. Given the outstanding importance of wetlands for biodiversity conservation, water regime regulation, climate change mitigation, and the provision of numerous ecosystem services, the project represents an important step toward improving wetland management and fulfilling national and international commitments in the field of nature conservation.

The project methodology was based on the guidelines of the Ramsar Convention and included the analysis of existing data, the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and targeted field surveys to collect missing information.

As a result of the project, a centralized wetland database was established, and a digital portal with an interactive map of Serbia's wetlands was developed. In addition, Ramsar Information Sheets were updated, and a national assessment of wetland status was prepared, identifying priority areas for wetland conservation and restoration.