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POLICY FRAMEWORK ON LAND DEGRADATION FROM A POST CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
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  • Marijana Kapovic Solomun,
  • Carla Ferreira,
  • Nichole Barger,
  • Radislav Tošić,
  • Saša Eremija
Marijana Kapovic Solomun
University of Banja Luka

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Carla Ferreira
Instituto Politecnico de Coimbra
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Nichole Barger
University of Colorado at Boulder
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Radislav Tošić
University of Banja Luka
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Saša Eremija
Institute of Forestry
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Abstract

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) is developing country facing extensive land degradation. As a post-conflict society with underlying poor socio-economic conditions, the value of land and its degradation status are not perceived to be an important problem neither a priority to address. BIH currently exists as a decentralized state, where land and land resources are under exclusive jurisdiction of two entities and one district, rather than state-level legislation. Complex land related administration between entities functioning independently from each other, and thus not sinchronized, leads to frequent political conflicts about land property, and limited data exchange which may exacerbate current land degradation. This paper investigates (i) the institutional setting and policy framework related to land, discussing the effectiveness and limitations of the current policies in this post-conflict society; (ii) stakeholders’ perception of land degradation under such complex institutional and policy structures; and (iii) the current state of land degradation, with a focus on soil erosion as one of the most important indicators in BIH. Communication and cooperation are major challenges for sustainable land management in post conflict societies. The existence of a policy framework is important, but not sufficient if implementation is weak and the perception of decision makers differs. Limited data on the impact of 1992 War on soil and land status represents an additional challenge to combat land degradation. Reliable national data on land degradation are crucial for assessment and development of strategic and policy frameworks devoted to those issues and to raise awareness on how to foster their implementation.
11 Mar 2020Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
12 Mar 2020Submission Checks Completed
12 Mar 2020Assigned to Editor
20 Apr 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
12 May 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 May 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Major
28 Jun 20201st Revision Received
29 Jun 2020Submission Checks Completed
29 Jun 2020Assigned to Editor
14 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Jul 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
26 Jul 20202nd Revision Received
28 Jul 2020Submission Checks Completed
28 Jul 2020Assigned to Editor
02 Aug 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
11 Aug 2020Editorial Decision: Accept