No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Soil erosion is one of the most significant environmental problems in the Republika Srpska / Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 1992-1995 civil war left serious consequences, and together with the depopulation process in the last few decades, it had a significant impact on the intensity of erosion. Depopulation of the Republika Srpska (RS) is evident from the 2013 B&H population and housing census. The results showed that there are 400,846 fewer inhabitants in the RS, and of the total number of settlements, 88.01% are depopulated. The Erosion Potential Method (EPM) was used to map soil erosion and calculate annual gross erosion in the RS. This showed an evident decrease in erosion intensity throughout most of the Entity. This research is an attempt to assess the depopulation impact on soil erosion intensity and gross erosion in the RS using the Erosion Potential Method and statistical analysis. Statistical analysis of 44 municipalities in the RS revealed a significant regression relationship between a decrease in sediment production and a decrease in population. The linear regression coefficient in these municipalities ranged from 0.72 to 0.95, and the coefficient of determination ranged from 0.52 to 0.91. The regression analysis included 1,248 settlements in the RS where there was a change in sediment production and in the population. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient for these settlements is 0.79, while the coefficient of determination for the observed variables is 0.63. This methodological approach represents a good basis for future research, and for all integrated water management projects, soil protection, forest ecosystems and environmental protection, spatial planning, agriculture and other human activities.

Torrential floods are the most frequent natural hazard events in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The increase of intensive rains in Bosnia and Herzegovina over last years, as a consequence of the climate changes, has triggered many torrential floods, which have generated a lot of damages and losses of human lives. This study was focused on development of torrential susceptibility model using GMM Method and GIS in the Vrbas river basin as an attempt to create a new methodological approach which can be used on other river basins in Bosnia and Herzegovina. First, a total of 174 torrential basins were identified in the Vrbas river basin, as a base for creating an inventory map, which was a base map for the assessment of torrential floods susceptibility. The GIS Matrix Method and six influencing factors were used for generation of Torrential Flood Susceptibility Model. Based on the obtained values of Torrential Flood Susceptibility Model for the Vrbas river basin, 45.52% of the study area is within strong and very strong susceptibility category. The Torrential Flood Susceptibility Model was validated using a "degree of fit" method. Validation indicators of the TFSM show that the 80.04% are in the category of strong and very strong susceptibility, while only 4.37% are in the category of very low and low susceptibility. This fact suggests that used methodology based on GMM method and used influencing factors enable delimitation of the area with high and very high susceptibility to torrential floods into the Vrbas basin. Therefore, used methodological approach represents a good base for future research, and it has potential for the practical use and should be tested in other river basins in Bosnia and Herzegovina.