The forests
They cover between 55 and 60% of the territory (28,000-30,000 km²). They are found mainly in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas and 70% of them belong to the state. The three most emblematic trees are the majestic Bosnian pine(Pinus heldreichii), which grows in the Balkans up to 2,500 m above sea level, the Serbian spruce(Picea omorika), an endemic species that is found only here and in Serbia, and the Bosnian maple(Acer obtusatum), from which Stradivarius violins were made. However, the most widespread species are the Balkan beech(Fagus moesiaca), the hairy oak and the sessile oak. The forests are dominated by the Balkan beech associated with sessile oak, oak, silver linden, alisier torminal(Sorbus torminalis) and various conifers to 800 m altitude. Next are mixed coniferous and deciduous forests (24%): Norway spruce, white fir, Scots pine, mugo pine, beech, various oaks and ashes, and Bosnian maple, which is mainly found in the Tuzla region. Next are the forests of sessile oak (14%), where it is found alongside hornbeam, flowering ash or silver linden. The last major category is that of pine forests (7%) that climb to the highest peaks of the country, over 2,300 m altitude, in central Bosnia and along the borders with Serbia and Montenegro. It is the kingdom of the Bosnian pine, the common spruce and the white fir. But the very rare Serbian spruce, which can reach 35 m in height (like the Bosnian pine) is found only in two areas: around Višegrad and in the Drina valley. Finally, among the other categories are wetland forests and Mediterranean forests (oak, pine, juniper, scrub, etc.) which dominate the southern part. There are also five small primary forests in the country, where man has never intervened: Perućica (1,434 ha, in the Sutjeska National Park), Lom (298 ha, near Bosanski Petrovac), Janj (295 ha, near Šipovo), Plješivica (39 ha, near Bihać) and Žuča-Ribnica (32 ha, near Kakanj). Moreover, the Janj Forest has been included since 2021 on the Unesco World Heritage list of primary forests of Europe. In general, Bosnian forests are doing quite well and are gaining ground due to the desertification of the country. The forestry sector represents 5% of the active population and 15% of exports. But some oak and pine forests are illegally cut.
Endemic species
The Balkans have the richest biodiversity in Europe in terms of endemism, i.e. plant or animal species that are native to the region and/or found only there. Thus, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, there are about 5,000 species, of which 540 are endemic, representing an endemism rate of 10.8%. By comparison, metropolitan France, although eleven times larger, has a rate of 6.3% (3,251 endemic species out of 51,400). Herzegovina alone (20% of the territory) concentrates half of the endemic species of the country. This is due to its varied relief and its different types of climate. For example, it is in the Neretva basin that the ten or so endemic fish of the country live (see below). The Vjetrenica cave (near Trebinje) is home to 37 unique species, including a beetle(Scotoplanetes arenstorffianus) and a shrimp(Troglomysis vjetrenicensis). Classified on the Unesco tentative list for world heritage status, it is the second most biodiverse cave in the world. Throughout the country, karst caves are teeming with endemic insects, mollusks, crustaceans or arachnids. The most surprising are two pseudo-scorpions (spider body and scorpion claws) discovered recently: the Neobisium radjai, in 2017, near Livno, and the Roncus travuniensis, in 2007, near Trebinje. In terms of flowers, about thirty endemic species have been identified. Some campanulas like Campanula hofmannii grow only in the gorges of Cvrcka (near Banja Luka). The highlands of Herzegovina are home to a purple carnation(Dianthus freynii), a fuchsia savory(Acinos orontius), a flowering legume(Oxytropis prenja) or the Prenj mountain violet(Viola prenja). But the most famous flower of the country is undoubtedly the Bosnian lily(Lilium bosniacum). Emblem of the kings of Bosnia in the Middle Ages, it is now the symbol of the Bosnian community.
Mammals
The largest land mammal in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the brown bear, which can weigh up to 700 kg for males. Its population is estimated at 1 000 individuals. It is the second largest in the Balkans after Romania (6 000). The Bosnian plantigrades are distributed in the forested areas of the mountains and hills of the northern half. But their numbers are declining (- 200 between 2011 and 2021). This is due to several factors: poaching, collisions with vehicles, landmine explosions and legal hunting. Because yes, the country still has many mined areas from the last war, especially in hard-to-reach forests. And yes, bear hunting is still allowed under quotas granted to hunting associations. In fact, legal hunting applies to almost all mammals, including endangered species such as the bear and the wolf. The wolf's numbers are decreasing in an even more worrying way, since there are only 350 individuals left, compared to 600 in 2006. It lives mainly in the regions near Serbia and Montenegro, as well as in the central part of the country, in the Čemernica forest (near Fojnica), on Mount Vlašić (near Travnik) and in the Janj primary forest (near Donji Vakuf). Another predator has already disappeared: the Balkan lynx(Lynx lynx balcanicus), which was last seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1911. Only 50 of these cats remain in Northern Macedonia and Albania. But another typical Balkan species is booming. It is the golden jackal(Canis aureus), whose local population was of the order of 2,000 individuals in 2021, with an estimated growth of 35% per year. This small cousin of the wolf is found mainly in the northern Pannonian plain. Other predators include foxes, wild cats, polecats, weasels, badgers, otters and the small Indian mongoose(Urva auropunctata), which was imported to the Croatian islands in 1910 and is now an invasive species of great concern. As for the tiny coastline of Neum (20 km), it is sometimes visited by cetaceans such as the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus).
Among the herbivores, the most imposing are wild boar, deer, roe deer and an endangered (yet hunted) subspecies: the Balkan chamois(Rupicapra balcanica) which lives in the Sutjeska National Park and in the Blidinje (Tropolje) nature reserve. In the vicinity of Mostar and especially Livno (Tropolje) there are also hordes of horses that have returned to the wild. Rabbits and hares are found along with about thirty rodents such as the red squirrel, the marmot, the beaver and the Nannospalax leucodon, a blind Balkan mole rat. In addition, there are 29 species of bats. The Mišarica cave (near Banja Luka) is considered one of the largest bat maternity caves in the Balkans, where thousands of great murins and Schreibers' minipedes come to breed in summer.
River fish
Known to fly fishermen from all over the world, the rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina are among the richest in fish in Europe. There are rainbow trout, brown trout, pike, various carp and, above all, one of the largest salmonids in the world: the hucho or Danube salmon (Hucho hucho) which can reach 1.50 m in length and weigh 50 kg. This endangered species of the Danube basin has made Bosnia-Herzegovina one of its last refuges. Unfortunately, the rivers of the country are in danger. Not so much because of amateur fishermen who practice "no kill" (the fish is released after capture), but because of the proliferation of hydroelectric power plants. In 2020, when more than 400 new dams of all sizes were planned or already under construction, a moratorium was decreed by the authorities in the face of opposition from the inhabitants. Among the six rivers with the most fish, there is first of all the small Ribnik (near Banja Luka), where the common grayling and the fario trout are found. The Sanica (near Sanski Most) is a beautiful mountain river, full of pike, grayling and a few huchon. Both rivers join the Sana, where trout and, again, some huchon live. Another tributary of the Sana, the Una is the most beautiful river in the country. It is home to rainbow trout, brown trout and huchon. But it is the Neretva and its tributaries that surprise the most with their numerous endemic species. Among the salmonids are the toothed trout(Salmo dentex), the marble trout(Salmo marmoratus) and the Neretva soft-lipped trout(Salmo obtusirostris oxyrhinchus).
Birds
The country has 321 species of birds, two-thirds of which nest locally. They are concentrated in three regions that each have a wetland recognized by the Ramsar Convention: Herzegovina and its neighbor Tropolje, as well as the Bardača Marshes along the Sava River. In Herzegovina, the Hutovo Blato nature reserve (74 km², Ramsar) is home to up to 10,000 birds at any one time: the pygmy cormorant, herons from Africa, the sickle ibis(Plegadis falcinellus), which nests high up near the water, and large flocks of various fighters(Philomachus pugnax). Among the ducks, note the red-breasted nuthatch(Netta rufina), not very common in Europe. Still in Herzegovina, Mostar is a good place to discover typical Balkan species: the yellow-billed duck(Pyrrhocorax graculus), with its majestic flight, and the dipper(Cinclus cinclus), which feeds in the Neretva. Nearby, Mount Prenj and the Podveležje Plateau are home to the rare rock partridge(Alectoris graeca), which nests on the rocky slopes from 1,000 meters above sea level. Herzegovina is also home to migratory birds, such as the colourful purple martin(Cecropis daurica), the orphean warbler(Curruca crassirostris), the white-bellied swift (Tachymarptis melba), which can fly for months without landing, and the splendid hoopoe(Upupa epops). The Tropolje region has two important natural sites. The vast karst plain of the Livno polje (459 km², Ramsar) is the largest frequently flooded area in the world and an important stopover for migratory birds such as the white-winged goshawk, the white spoonbill and the corncrake(Crex crex). One can also meet sedentary species that are rare in Western Europe: the white-backed woodpecker(Dendrocopos leucotos), typical of the Dinaric Alps, the small crimson finch(Carpodacus erythrinus), mainly present in Asia, the pink-breasted shrike (Lanius minor), recently extinct in France, and the scaup(Aythya ferina), a diving duck in danger of extinction. On the borders of Tropolje and Herzegovina, the nature reserve of Blidinje (358 km²) is home to both woodland birds such as the capercaillie and the eagle owl which nests in the cliffs. With its lake, the reserve also attracts wintering species such as the grey heron and the great black-backed gull(Larus cachinnans). In the north of the country, the marshes of Bardača (35 km², Ramsar) host some of the same birds as in Hutovo Blato and Livno polje, but in smaller numbers. Among those that nest there are the white stork, the little egret, the little bittern, which is the smallest of the herons, and a sea bird, the common tern. But with the exception of the white-tailed eagle(Haliaeetus albicilla), the large raptors that once lived here have disappeared. Some of them can be found in the east of the country, such as the griffon vulture and the golden eagle, of which there are still a few pairs in the national parks of Sutjeska and Drina.
Reptiles
Of the 14 species of snakes present in the country, three are dangerous to humans. The horned viper(Vipera ammodytes) is the most dangerous. Measuring about 85 cm in length and living on rocky or sandy ground up to 2,000 m in altitude, it has a venom that is ten times stronger than that of other vipers. It can cause death and several (non-fatal) incidents have been reported recently around Sarajevo. The problem is that local hospitals can quickly run out of antivenom serum as has already happened. The Orsini viper(Vipera ursini) reaches 50 cm in length and its bite can cause complications (fever, nausea...). More rare is the Bosnian viper (Vipera berus bosniensis), a small Balkan species of 40 cm in length. These three vipers can be identified by their black zigzag patterns. The country also has 22 species of amphibians: 12 frogs and toads, 10 salamanders and newts. Of these, the Bosnian alpine newt(Ichthyosaura alpestris reiseri) is found only in Prokoško Lake (near Fojnica).
Arachnids
The group of arachnids (spiders and scorpions) continues to grow with new discoveries every year. The country now has about 200 species of spiders, of which about 30 are found only here, most of them troglodytes. In the forest and in the countryside, one must beware of the Theridiidae family, with a globular abdomen and whose venom can kill a rat. This is the case of the Bosnian Theridiid(Theridion bosniense), an endemic spider reported in 2011. Local scorpions are less dangerous, as their venom usually has only a slight skin effect on humans. However, remember to put your shoes on backwards at night if you sleep in the countryside: this will avoid an unpleasant surprise when you put them on in the morning. There are currently five species of scorpions, all endemic to the Balkans.
