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Daniela Stojković Jovanović

  • Biodiversity Journal, 17 (1): 79-86

    Daniela Stojković Jovanović
    Safeguarding Biodiversity and Drinking Water Sources in Novi Sad’s Floodplains
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2026.17.1.79.86

    ABSTRACT
    The floodplain areas of Novi Sad (Serbia) - Šodroš, Dunavac, and Kamenička Ada - are not only ecological sanctuaries hosting rich biodiversity but living shields against floods and serving as natural defense zones. To the south, the sanitary protection zones of Petrovaradinska Ada and Ratno Ostrvo safeguard drinking water for more than 300,000 residents. This study exposes how planned infrastructure projects threaten both wetland integrity and public health through the identification of endangered species, and spatial overlaps between construction zones and protected water sources within strict sanitary protection zones. To dismantle retention zones is to strip the city of its natural flood defense and to compromise sanitary zones is to gamble with the safety of every glass of water consumed daily. This study therefore calls for urgent international support, transparent governance, and the integration of hydrological and ecological data into regional planning. Safeguarding water and biodiversity is not merely a technical obligation - it is a matter of survival and collective responsibility.