With the need to conserve and improve the environment, it is recommended to employ plant materials in the erosion control of torrents and slopes alongside roads. Considering the well-known properties of some willow species regarding their power of vegetative reproduction, survival in poor soils and often flooded alluvium, we researched into the potentials of the following species: Salix triandra L., Salix purpurea L. and Salix incana Schrk. in the catchment of the warehouse 'Gvozdac', Experimental Estate Goč, Serbia. The research started in 2004 and has continued till the present day. The above-mentioned willow species showed significant efficiency in the bank protection of torrential watercourses and on the moist slopes of embankments and cuts of roads. Some of them can even stand a certain degree of aridity, while other species, on poor, eroded soil exposed to long and extreme drought, could not survive and did not show the expected effect, which is also the consequence of the absence of maintenance and adequate attention to such erosion-control works. In spite of the above, one of the willow species survived even in the most severe conditions, checking the erosion of the road cut slope and the road construction itself, and prevented the impacts of aggressive atmospheric waters, thus halting the erosion ridges and the removal of the asphalt road surface. The above facts prove that, with adequate measures of maintenance, plant materials can be very successfully applied for both longitudinal structures and to check dams in torrent control, as well as in erosion control on the slopes in catchments, both in civil engineering works and in forest exploitation. The research requires closer attention, extending the interests to some grass and shrub species, with the aim of ecological erosion control and reclamation of endangered watercourses, slopes and, in general, environmental protection and nature conservation.

Heavy winter and spring rainfall during the years 2005, -06, -07, and -08 brought about numerous torrential floods and landslides throughout the world and in Serbia. They endangered people, animals, settlements, fields, and roads. This reminded us of a readily available, cheap, and efficient material: stone in wire baskets of doubly galvanized wire of various sizes and forms - gabions - which are also long-lasting, flexible, and ecological. If made according to prescribed standards, they offer a permanent solution for many erosion-control problems. In addition, they can be used in urgent interventions to protect the lives of humans, animals, and plants and prevent of immense material losses. This paper calls attention to an unjustifiably neglected but important material, easily manipulated and with significant advantages compared to other structural materials, as well as to the possibility of its successful combination with vegetation, viz., willow (Salix sp.) cuttings and grasses

The quality and stability of erosion-control materials in protection of reservoirs in Southern and Eastern Serbia have been examined both in the field and in accredited laboratories in our country. Field investigations have been carried out over a period of 15 years in Eastern Serbia and for up to 30 years in Southern Serbia, and they are still being conducted by monitoring the state and possible damage of consolidation-retention check dams, walls, and other erosion-control structures. The materials used in protection of the Selova and Grlište Reservoirs are typical construction materials, such as resistant natural stone, concrete of the BI group, i.e., MB 20, aggregate, synthetic elements, etc. Long-term monitoring of their state and minor deformations has shown that the materials were well-chosen and stable, and that there has been no significant damage, except for some minor crumbling and smaller cracks due to negligible scouring. This is all the result of prior thorough empirical and laboratory testing of applied materials, which helped to achieve stability and functionality of structures erected to prevent silting-up of the reservoir. Such a state has contributed to stabilization of erosion processes and reduction of sediment quantities, improvement of water quality, and advancement of the autochthonous vegetation (Salix L., Cornus L., Quercus L.). Vegetation has further mitigated erosion, decreased floods, and consolidated the structures, thereby improving the ecological quality of the catchments as well as the entire study area

Abstrakt: Beograd je jedna od najpopularnijih turističkih destinacija u regionu koju posećuje sve veći broj ne samo domaćih već i stranih turista. Među turističkim znamenitostima posebno mesto pripada Kalemegdanskom kompleksu. On je, po pravilu, neizostavna tačka zadržavanja stranih turista i ostalih posetilaca. Istovremeno, opšte je mišljenje da je Kalemegdan i najvažniji elemenat ukupnog, u odnosu na druge evropske metropole relativno skromnog, atrakcijskog potencijala za razvoj turizma u Beogradu. U ovom radu ostvaren je pokušaj evaluacije turističke vrednosti Kalemegdana primenom kombinovanog kvalitativno-kvanititavnog metoda. Za razliku od uobičajenog anketiranja stranih turista, čiji stavovi ne moraju obavezno odslikavati "privlačnost", još manje objektivnu vrednost atrakcije, autori su se opredelili za mišljenje stručnjaka nekoliko profila relevantnih za predmet istraživanja. Vrednost Kalemegdana kao turističke atrakcije, izražene kroz više karakterističnih indikatora, ocenjivali su turizmolog, turistički vodiči, pejzažne arhitekte, arhitekte i ekolog. "Ukrštanjem" njihovih ocena dobijene su srednje vrednosti za svaki od postavljenih indikatora, pa se na osnovu takvog rezultata može zaključiti da park Kalemegdan, sa Beogradskom tvrđavom, ima relativno visoku turističku vrednost u nivou nacionalnog značaja. Istraživanje je pokazalo i da su neophodne dodatne aktivnosti na unapređenju prezentacije i turističke interpretacije ove poznate atrakcije Beograda. Abstract: As the site of tumultuous cultural and historic events, Belgrade is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region visited by a growing number of both national and international tour-ists. Kalemegdan complex, which is, as a rule, an indispensable point of tourist visits, holds a special place among tourist attractions of the city. At the same time, there is a general opinion that Kalemegdan is also the most important element of the overall attraction potential for tourism development in Belgrade, which is otherwise relatively modest compared to other European capitals. In this paper, an attempt has been made to assess the tourist value of Kalemegdan by using the combined qualitative and quantitative method. In contrast to the usual surveys of international tourists whose views do not necessarily reflect the "attractiveness" and even less the fair value of attraction, the authors have opted for expert opinion in several profiles relevant to the case study. Tourism experts, travel guides, landscape architects, architects and environmentalists assessed the value of Kalemegdan as a tourist attraction, expressed through several distinctive indicators. Average values for each set of indicators, obtained by combining these marks, have led to the conclusion that the Kalemegdan Park with Belgrade Fortress has a relatively high tourism value in the level of national importance. The research has also showed the need for additional activities aimed at improving presentation and interpretation of the Belgrade's famous tourist attractions.