Beljarica
[1][2] With Gornje Podunavlje and Kovilj-Petrovaradin Marshes [sr], both of which have already been declared special nature reserves, Beljarica is among the largest flood zones in Serbia.
[4] It belongs to the municipality of Palilula and, though inhabited, it is administratively divided between the settlements of Borča (southern), Kovilovo (central) and Padinska Skela (northern part).
It begins north of the point where the Pupin Bridge crosses the Danube[2] and stretches across several neighborhoods and settlements on the left, Syrmian bank: Nova Galenika, 13.
[2][3] It is not preventing flooding only of its direct hinterland (some 340 km2 (130 sq mi) Pančevački Rit), but also parts of Zemun, New Belgrade and even lowlands upstream the Sava river from its mouth into the Danube.
The forest acts as an obstacle for the high waters and strong winds, protecting the inland settlements (Borča, Kovilovo, Padinska Skela).
The poplar is known for its fast growth and almost sponge-like absorption qualities, but the water is also absorbed by the humus layer which developed in time on the forest floor.
[8] By August 2021, naturalists began warning on the possible overpopulation of coypus, non-native invasive species which were probably let into the wild when production on fur farms became too costly.
In 2010, the League for the Ornithological Action petitioned for the protection of the area, which was accepted by the City Secretariat for Environment which forwarded it to the Institute for Nature Conversation of Serbia.
The visitors to the outer parts of the wetland include cyclists, recreational athletes, dog walkers and excursionists (holidays, picnics, etc.).
[5] In June 2021, the city officially started the procedure of protecting the area under the name of "Foreland on Danube's left bank at Belgrade", on roughly 1,858 hectares (4,590 acres).
[3] After General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping visited Serbia in 2016, it was announced that the large, new port of Belgrade will be built in the central part of Beljarica.
[5] Environmentalists protested stating that the partial urbanization and industrialization will fragment the wetland and that remaining small patches of marsh will not be able to sustain such an abundant wildlife.
[15] After protests by the ecologists and media, in March 2020, claiming it is acting upon the petitions from the environmentalists' groups, Ministry of Construction announced that the new port will not be built in Beljarica, as they "already dropped the idea".
Institute for Nature Conversation stated they are in the process of drafting the protection study Foreland of Danube's Left Bank in Belgrade.
Beljarica location is praised for the closeness to the international roads, but lacking everything else, like the complete absence of primary and access infrastructure, which makes it much bigger investment than Pančevo, estimated at €105 million.
