Lecture by Professor Ratko Ristić: The Role of Forest Ecosystems in Soil Erosion and Torrential Floods – Serbia 2025
As part of the lecture series ’Current State and Perspectives of Natural Resources of Serbia in the Era of Climate Change, Energy Transition and New Directions of Economic Development’, Professor Ratko Ristić, PhD, a full professor at the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Belgrade and a full member of the Academy of Engineering Sciences, will give a lecture titled ’The Role of Forest Ecosystems in Soil Erosion and Torrential Floods – Serbia 2025’ on Thursday, 18 September, at noon, at the SASA Grand Hall.
The catastrophic torrential floods in May 2014 claimed more than 50 lives and caused over 1.7 billion euros in direct material damage. The broader public learned that Serbia has around 11,500 torrential watercourses; however, a detailed and comprehensive analysis of all aspects of the causes of torrential floods has remained absent. While extensive work was undertaken to repair and reconstruct damaged water management infrastructure, few new facilities were built, and biological and biotechnical measures—especially anti-erosion afforestation—were almost entirely neglected. A pressing issue is the problem of funding of anti-erosion works and torrent management, which had reached a historic low in the years leading up to 2014. Under the current funding system, it is practically impossible to realise the construction of new facilities or even secure the maintenance of existing ones, resulting in reduced system functionality and a growing risk of flood damage.
The most recent forest inventory in Serbia indicates a rise in forest areas, which is a consequence of the spontaneous renewal of woodland areas due to depopulation in the mountainous regions and abandonment of cultivated areas and meadows and pastures. However, analyses of climate observations and projections related to the domain of climate fluctuations in the region of southeastern Europe show concerning trends for the period until the end of the 21st century: an increase in the average annual air temperature of 2.5-5.0 degrees Celsius, mostly during the growing season; a decrease in snowfall, more frequent occurrence of extreme torrential episodes; a decrease in the annual amount of precipitation and available soil moisture by 10 to 20 percent, with extreme consequences: drying and disappearance of climatogenic forests in significant areas of the mountainous regions. The loss of forest ecosystems directly contributes to the spread of severe erosion processes, with frequent occurrences of flash floods, mudflows, landslides and avalanches, while the preservation of stable forest ecosystems provides a strong protection against the occurrence of soil erosion and flash floods.
The live streaming of the event is available via the link https://www.sanu.ac.rs/en/live-streaming/