Mountain Partnership

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Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro (the former 'Federal Republic of Yugoslavia') covers an area of 102.173 square km, with some 10 million inhabitants. The landscape is mostly mountainous, with highlands of above 200m in altitude covering two thirds of its area.

Biodiversity is particularly rich in these areas, but is being threatened by uncontrolled economic development, pollution, soil erosion, increasingly frequent forest fires, and exploitation of the wild plant and animal species. The overuse of local resources, especially wood, was a particular problem during the period of conflict.

During the years of communism the mountain populations were greatly neglected, with the result that a large percentage of the inhabitants of mountain communities migrated to the lowlands and entire villages were abandoned. Attention is being focused on preventing the exploitation of forests, the opening of quarries and mines, the establishment of military bases, and uncontrolled tourism development.

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