BA004
Livno karst field and Busko lake


Country/territory: Bosnia and Herzegovina

IBA criteria met: A4iii, B1i, B2, B3 (2011)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 45,868 ha

IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) State (condition) Pressure (threat) Response (action)
2013 unfavourable medium low
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site summary
The largest karst depression in the Dinaric karst and perhaps the largest periodically flooded karst field in the world. The site comprises seasonally flooded agricultural land and alluvial forest, seasonal marshes and pools, permanent streams, karst springs and sinkholes, and the largest peatland in the Balkans. Together with the Sava wetlands, it is the most important wintering, migration, and breeding site for waterbirds and raptors in the country and a key site of the Central European Flyway. The polje is important for the identity of the local community of Livno, well-known for its traditional cheeses, and for a wide range of recreational pursuits. Threats include water extraction for energy production, a planned coal-fired thermoelectric plant, and unsustainable peat excavation. Ramsar site no. 1786. Most recent information: 2008.

Acknowledgements
Drazen Kotrosan (Nase Ptice) Borut Stumberger (EuroNatur)


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Livno karst field and Busko lake. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/livno-karst-field-and-busko-lake-iba-bosnia-and-herzegovina on 19/03/2024.