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GREAT NEWS!

Zvezdara forest is officially protected!

In the "Gradski glasnik", official publication of the City of Belgrade from November 29th, 2013, Zvezdara forest is declared as protected area of the III order and under protection of the Republic of Serbia.

After years of struggle we finally managed to authorities recognise significance of Zvezdara forest for the people of Belgrade and to place it under protection of state.

We thank everyone that helped!!!

Your struggle for Zvezdara Forest was a struggle for a healthier life of you, your children and grandchildren.

New urbanistic plan for detailed regulation of Zvezdara forest, has been approved. Amendment that provides that some of the paved roads that were meant to be built in Zvezdara forest are not built, has been taken into account and also approved. However, the plan for regulation of Zvezdara forest still provides more than 200 parking spaces and large areas for construction (approx. 70 000 square meters). This is a result of compromise. But the forest is still not safe, not until study of protection of Zvezdara forest is approved in City Assembly, which will make legal ground for protection of Zvezdara forest, and which should have been approved before urbanistic plan, not after.

We suspect that several private companies, under the guise of city development and hospital complex expansion, are preparing to cut down large parts of the forest

and build residential areas, and hospital complex that will later be leased or sold to the third party. Some of the private and public institutions bordering the forest are trying to go for with the plan, and appropriate chunks of the forest. They are lying in ambush motivated with greed, concerned only for their profit.

-This act of violence against nature is also act of violence against human rights , it is unlawful and in direct collision with article 74 of

Constitution of the Republic of Serbia

Healthy environment

Article 74

Everyone shall have the right to healthy environment and the right to timely and full information about the state of environment.

Everyone, especially the Republic of Serbia and autonomous provinces, shall be accountable for the protection of environment.

Everyone shall be obliged to preserve and improve the environment.

-The way urbanistic plan for detailed regulation of Zvezdara forest has been passed is in violation of articles 6,7 and 8 of Aarhus convention which is as a law acknowledged by Republic of Serbia.

-The urbanistic plan for detailed regulation of Zvezdara forest is also in violation of several laws concerning making and pa

ssing urbanistic plans without strategic evaluation of environmental impact and public discussions, Law on environmental impact assessment (Zakon o strateškoj proceni uticaja na životnu sredinu).

-The urbanistic plan for detailed regulation of Zvezdara forest is in direct violation of Law of Forests, articles 2 and 76, which state that forest land can not be used as building land.

Throughout this site, we will show you what is human stupidity driven by greed prepared to do and offer detailed and expert explanation, why this plan should be stopped.

In this forest live wild animal species protected (check Flora and Fauna page) by Serbian law as natural rarities. Serbia also has an obligation in conforming to various signed International treaties concerning biodiversity protection.

Outline of the new plan for regulation of Zvezdara forest is serious threat for the forest area. Among other things, it is planned to destroy the area of the forest above “KBC Zvezdara”, bordered by streets Trnavska, Novice Cerovića, Vojvode Sime Popovića, in order to, allegedly, expand the road network and introduce the heavy traffic in the forest areas. Endangered area of the forest stretches over 5 ha.

Tree analysis of the marked area (red) has been conducted, and its findings are presented here.

For yellow marks clarification check What They Really Want to Do

Before After

Zvezdara Forest (Zvezdarska šuma or Zvezdani Gaj, Serbian Cyrillic: Звездарска шума or Звездани гај) After Topčider and Košutnjak, Zvezdara is the largest forest in the urban zone of Belgrade, a crescent-shaped wooded area which covers most of the Zvezdara Hill. Northern and eastern border of the wood is formed mostly by the Dragoslava Srejovića street. It borders the neighborhoods of Karaburma on the north, Ćalije on the north-east, Mirijevo on the east, Cvetkova Pijaca on the south and Zvezdara itself on the west. In the beginning of the 20th century the Veliki Vračar Hill area was designed for afforestation. After the construction of observatory in 1929-32 on top of the hill, the forest creation began making a unique artificially created green zone in Belgrade's urban tissue. Today, observatory is roughly in the middle of the forest.

Zvezdara Forest today covers an area of 137

hectares, out of which 21 hectare is arranged as a park. [Večernje Novosti daily, April 9, 2007, p.16]. Apart from observatory, objects within the forest or near it include the "Mihajlo Pupin Institute" in the north-central and seven small stadiums (FK "29. Novembar", FK "Zvezdara", FK "Mladi proleteri") in the norh-western section. Patches of northern section are urbanized, forming a neighborhood of Zvezdara II (especially along the Dragoslava Srejovića street). Forest is also damaged by the unauthorized individual residential construction, so in 2007 Belgrade City government announced further plans to extend Zvezdara Forest to the north and south, connecting it in the process to Ada Huja and Šumice, respectively, either as real park or just avenues, and thus creating Belgrade's greenway.

With its significant tree fond, Zvezdara forest:

· Alleviates effects of global climate changes

· Creates favorable microclimatic conditions

· Alleviates effects of petrochemical pollution that comes to Belgrade from industrial facilities in Pančevo

· Acts as a filter and cooler of city air

· Enables fresh air to reach the heart of the city

· Enables undisturbed airflow and ventilation of the city

· Prevents soil erosion

· Is natural reservoir of groundwater

· Is natural windbreak, protecting Belgrade from very strong (south)east wind (košava)

· significant area for recreation, outdoor activities, Nature studies etc.

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