Environmental politics in the Western Balkans: river basin management and non-governmental organisation (NGO) activity in Herzegovina

Abstract

Environmental activism across the Western Balkan successor states of the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia, remains in its infancy. Compared to the movements of central and Eastern Europe, the development of environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) in these states appears to be much slower. From the empirical perspective of non-governmental organisation activity concerning river basin management in Herzegovina, the factors that have determined the pace and nature of environmental politics in the region are explored. The most significant constraints on ENGO activity relate specifically to the political legacy of conflict and the turbulent recent history of this region. The ethnicisation of party politics, the weak regulatory capacity of state authorities and the obfuscation of power, the specific model of political economy and the absence of green politics at the time of the collapse of socialism coalesce to inhibit the emergence of politically engaged and professionalised green advocacy networks.