Natural Resources Management In The Absence Of The Rule Of Law: A Case Study From Bosnia And Herzegovina

Abstract

During the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an estimated 100,000 were killed, homes and businesses were destroyed, and the legal system was rendered obsolete. Since the war ended in 1995, a new legal system has been under construction. Sweeping changes were necessary to address ramifications of the war and to shift from a socialist to a capitalist society. The development of environmental laws has not been a priority. The new governmental structure sets competency over natural resources - not at the national level, but at fragmented lower levels of government, frustrating effective forest management. Half of the country is forested. Timber is its most valuable resource, providing its most significant exports. Initially, individuals with few alternatives harvested firewood. Subsistence harvesting evolved into large scale resource plunder. Organized crime is involved in illegal logging, reinforcing paths used for trafficking people, drugs and weapons. Pervasive corruption in forestry management discourages international investment. The weak state of the law not only allows environmental degradation, it destabilizes this fragile country and impedes post-war recovery.