Erasmus+ project “Educational Capacity Strengthening for Risk Management of Non-native Aquatic Species in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro)” – RiskMan
Application No. 619384-EPP-1-2020-1-TR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP / Duration: 2020-2022
more information about the project at:
https://www.facebook.com/riskman.unbi
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Introduction
University of Bihać, Biotechnical Faculty together with 12 partners Universities and institutes from EU countries, Western Balkans and the Republic of Turkey took part in the Erasmus + project “Educational Capacity Strengthening for Risk Management of Non-native Aquatic Species in Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro)”- RiskMan. (ref. no. 619384-EPP-1-2020-1-TR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). The project was approved and funded by the European Union through the ERASMUS + CBHE program (Erasmus + Capacity Building in Higher Education Call EAC / A02 / 2019 – Selection Year 2020
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/cbhe_2020-results.pdf)
The project team of the University of Bihać, Biotechnical Faculty consists of:
- Assoc Prof. Azra Bakrač, PhD
- Asst Prof. Emir Mujić, PhD
- MA Subha Džafić, senior Assistant,
- Nermina Badić – Office of Academic and Student Affairs at UNBI
Aims and objectives
The main aim of the project is to promote the education of stakeholders and high education in the field of risk assessment of non-native (NN) species and to stimulate research and cooperation on the management of NN species in the Western Balkan Region.
Aquaculture is currently one of the most important human food resources globally and is an important contributor to food security, income generation and employment in local economies. Nevertheless, in order to remain competitive, the aquaculture industry is diversifying over the years involving the use of alternative species. Regrettably, this practice has led to the introduction of non‐native (NN) species to natural water bodies that have been found to exert adverse impacts on native species and ecosystems. Ecological impacts of invasive alien species range from single-species interactions and reduction in individual fitness of native species to population declines, local extinctions, changes in community composition and effects on entire ecosystem processes and wider ecosystem function. Moreover, non-native species can lead to major economic damage and significant impacts on human well‐being and, along with climate change, are widely recognized as one of the main threats to aquatic biodiversity.
Given that risks can be reduced merely by communicating and educating industry and the general public to the hazards associated with the release of non-native organisms into the open environment, the risk analysis process involves protocols through it is possible to identify potentially invasive species and assess the risks associated with those. Due to its zoogeographical position and the high degree of endemism the Western Balkans region’s biodiversity is particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of NN species introductions, leading to high levels of threat to native biodiversity. This further highlights the importance of considering the impacts of NN species in freshwater ecosystems in the countries of this region. Consequently, these efforts are expected to contribute to aquaculture sustainability, reduce economic distortion and support countries having limited regulation on both conservation and aquaculture issues.
Partners:
- Turkey (Coordinator): Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University
- Italy: University of Palermo
- Croatia: University of Zagreb
- North Macedonia: Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid
- Albania: ACEPSD
- Albania: ALB ADRIATICO 2013
- Albania: Agricultural University of Tirana
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: University of Sarajevo
- Montenegro: University of Montenegro
- Greece: iSea
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: University of Bihać
- Albania: University College of Business
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Bosnian language
Erasmus+ projektu “Jačanje obrazovnih kapaciteta za upravljanje rizikom od alohtonih (ne-nativni) vodenih vrsta u zemljama Zapadnog Balkana (Albanija, Bosna i Hercegovina i Crna Gora)”
Uvod
Biotehnički fakultet Univerziteta u Bihaću zajedno sa još 12 partnerskih Univerziteta i instituta iz zemalja EU, zemalja Zapadnog Balkana te Republike Turske uzeo je učešće u Erasmus+ projektu „Educational Capacity Strengthening for Risk Management of Non-native Aquatic Species in Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro)“ – RiskMan. (ref. no. 619384-EPP-1-2020-1-TR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). Projekat je odobren i financiran od strane Europske unije kroz program ERASMUS+ CBHE (Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education Call EAC/A02/2019 – Selection Year 2020,
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/cbhe_2020-results.pdf)
Projektni tim Univerziteta u Bihaću, Biotehničkog fakulteta čine:
- prof. dr. Azra Bakrač,
- doc. dr. Emir Mujić,
- MA Subha Džafić, viši asistent,
- Nermina Badić – Ured za nastavu i studentska pitanja na UNBI
Cilj projekta
Glavni cilj projekta je promocija obrazovanja tzv. stakeholdera, te promocija visokog obrazovanja u oblasti procjene rizika od alohtoni, ne-nativnih (eng. non-native) vodenih vrsta i poticanje istraživanja i saradnje na upravljanju ovim vrstama u regiji Zapadnog Balkana.
Kako bi ostala konkurentna industrija akvakulture koje je trenutno jedan od najvažnijih ljudskih prehrambenih resursa na globalnom nivou, te ima važan je doprinos u sigurnosti hrane, stvaranju prihoda i zapošljavanju u lokalnim ekonomijama, tokom godina se diverzificira i uključuje alternativne vrste. Nažalost, ova praksa dovela je do uvođenja alohtonih (ne-nativnih) vrsta u za koja je utvrđeno da imaju negativan utjecaj na autohtone vrste i ekosisteme. Ekološki uticaji invazivnih stranih vrsta kreću se od interakcija pojedinih vrsta i smanjenja tzv. individualne kondicije autohtonih vrsta, pa i do opadanja populacije, lokalnih izumiranja, promjena u sastavu zajednice i uticaja na čitave procese i funkcije ekosistema. Pored ovoga, alohtone, ne-nativne vrste mogu dovesti do velikih ekonomskih šteta i značajnog uticaja na dobrobit ljudi, te su uz klimatske promjene, široko su prepoznate kao jedna od glavnih prijetnji vodenoj biološkoj raznolikosti.
S obzirom da se rizici mogu umanjiti samo komuniciranjem i edukacijom industrije akvakulture i šire javnosti o opasnostima povezanim sa puštanjem alohtonih, ne-nativnih organizama u otvoreno okruženje. Proces analize rizika uključuje protokole kroz koje je moguće identificirati potencijalno invazivne vrste i procijeniti rizike povezane s tim. Zbog svog zoogeografskog položaja i visokog stepena endemizma, biodiverzitet regiona Zapadnog Balkana je posebno ranjiv na negativne uticaje uvođenja alohtonih vrsta, što dovodi do visokog nivoa ugroženosti autohtone biološke raznolikosti. To dodatno naglašava važnost razmatranja uticaja ovih vrsta na slatkovodne ekosisteme u zemljama ovog regiona. Shodno navedenom, očekuje se da će aktivnosti i napori kroz ovaj projekat doprinijeti održivosti akvakulture, smanjiti ekonomsku distorziju i podržati zemlje koje imaju ograničenu regulativu, kako u pogledu zaštite, tako i u vezi s akvakulturom.
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Newspaper article about the Erasmus + project RiskMan in the Una-Sana newspaper “Krajina” (bs)
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Erasmus+ RiskMan Kick-Off Meeting, Mugla, Turkey December 10th , 2020
The official Kick-Off Meeting of the Erasmus+ project RiskMan was held on December 10th, 2020. As coordinating partner of the consortium, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University (Turkey) invited all project partners to this one day online meeting. The primary objective of the meeting was for all partners to get to know each other in order to create the right conditions to work together for the next 2 years. The UNBI team was represented by Prof. As. Azra Bakrač, Ph.D, MA Subha Džafić, Senior Assistant and Nermina Badić – Office of Academic and Student Affairs at UNBI.
U sklopu aktivnosti Erasmus+ projekta RiskMan u organizaciji Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University (R. Turska) 10. decembra 2020. godine održan je zvanični jednodnevni online Kick-Off Meeting. Ispred UNBI tima sastanku su prisustvovali: prof. dr Azra Bakrač, MA Subha Džafić, i Nermina Badić – Ured za akademska i studentska pitanja na Univrezitetu u Bihaću.
