The Sava River Basin is shared by five countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, while a negligible part of the basin area also extends to Albania. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia are Parties of the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB). The implementation body of the FASRB is the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) which is responsible for development of joint plans and programs regarding the sustainable water management among others.

ISRBC has developed the Protocol on Sediment Management to the FASRB which affirms the need for efficient cooperation among the Parties and for promotion of sustainable sediment management (SSM) solutions.

To respond to the above mentioned needs, a project Towards Practical Guidance for Sustainable Sediment Management using the Sava River Basin as a Showcase has been launched upon the initiative of UNESCO Venice Office, together with the UNESCO International Sediment Initiative (ISI), European Sediment Network (SedNet) and the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) aiming to develop and validate a practical guidance on how to achieve a SSM Plan on the river-basin scale, using the Sava River Basin as a showcase.

The project Estimation of Sediment Balance for the Sava River (BALSES) has been implemented by the core expert group which has analysed the sediment balance for the main Sava River course, considering the input from the main tributaries, and thus to form a basis for sustainable transboundary sediment and water management.

Link: Report on Estimation of Sediment Balance for the Sava River [PDF; 18 Mb]