Belgrade, 5 June 2024 − With the support of Sweden within the initiative "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia“, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Serbia is launching a "Challenge Call for Innovative Solutions for the Protection, Preservation and Revitalization of Wetlands in/at protected areas".

The goal of this Challenge Call is to support the implementation of innovative solutions that directly contribute to the protection and preservation of wetland habitats in protected areas or in their immediate vicinity. In particular, we encourage the submission of proposals that preserve biodiversity and water through active protection measures, i.e. physical interventions that ensure the continuous presence of water, improve hydrological infrastructure (river dams, canals, water supply network,), ensure the natural restoration of water resources and systems, restore wetland connectivity, revitalize degraded peatlands.

Managers of protected areas, local self-governments, public and private companies, as well as scientific research institutions and organizations can apply to this public call. All interested parties, especially managers of protected areas and local self-governments, are invited to propose ideas for the protection and preservation of wetlands within their jurisdiction, as well as ideas for the revitalization of endangered or degraded wetlands on their territory.

The authors of ideas that fulfil the call criteria will receive expert support to develop them into feasible projects. Thereafter, the best developed projects will receive co-financing of up to 70% of the total value of the project, i.e. up to a maximum of USD 150,000 per project.

Project proposals can only be submitted via the online form (in Serbian), by 31 July 2024 at the latest.

Further details on the conditions of participation in the challenge and how to apply can be found in Conditions and Guidelines for applicants.

The public call was published as part of the project "Protection and investment in biodiversity and water in order to strengthen resistance to climate change", with the financial support of the Government of Sweden, within the wider initiative "EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia". 

This initiative, with the technical and financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funding from the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.