2006World Swamp Protection Day Hutovo Blato - First Day Cover

Technological developments of the last century were not accompanied by the awareness of the importance of the natural swamp world. Enormous lunds were invested in the drainage of swamps and cultivation of drained land mostly lor agricultural purposes.
In the Mediterranean part of Bosnia and Herzegovina much of the land covered with mud or swamps has been brought into danger.
What has resulted from the persistent regulation and disorganized exploitation of the natural river !low is the impossibility of maintaining old swampy areas as well as creating the new ones. A great deal of the Neretva river ftow has been burdened with accumulation lakes having a considerable inlluence on very important natural mechanisms responsible lor the swamp maintenance and creation.