WATERTOUR – Development of Water Tourism on Waterways Connecting Hungary and Serbia

September 29, 2018

TOURCOM – Tourism Destination Competitiveness – An Evaluation Model for Serbia

September 28, 2022

Improving the environment in Vojvodina in order to adapt to climate change and reduce the risk of natural disasters

  • Project code: 003026234 2024 09418 003 000 000 001
  • Project duration: 2021–2024
  • Funding institution: Provincial Secretariat for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
  • Implementing institution: University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management
  • Project leader: Dr Stevan Savić, Full Professor
  • Project team: Dr Vladimir Stojanović, Dr Dubravka Milić, Dr Milana Pantelić, Dr Daniela Arsenović, Sanja Obradović Strålman and Dajana Bjelajac (Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad); Mirjana Radulović (BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad)
  • Contact: Dr Stevan Savić, stevan.savic@dgt.uns.ac.rs

About the Project

The main goal of the project is to intensify interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research on urban and natural, particularly protected, areas in Vojvodina. The research combines micro-scale monitoring of climatic and bioclimatic conditions with the study of biodiversity change at the habitat level. Its aim is to provide a basis for assessments and measures that help both the population and natural habitats adapt to climate change and extreme weather events.

The project team brings together researchers in climatology, demography, biology, environmental analysis and protection, and geoinformatics.

Objectives and Research Activities

The specific objectives of the project are:

  • Climate and bioclimatic monitoring of urban and natural areas – using data from networks of stationary (urban and rural) meteorological stations and applying innovative mobile measurement methods in different environments, across seasons and during weather events such as heat and cold waves. Monitoring focuses on the micro and local scales, with comparative measurements in urban areas of different urban design and in natural areas with different ecosystem types.
  • Attitudes of the local population – a survey of local residents' attitudes towards sustainable development and nature protection, based on face-to-face questionnaires.
  • Plant species diversity – assessment of the current state of plant species diversity, with special emphasis on microclimatic requirements and on changes in habitat use across ecosystem types in the protected areas of AP Vojvodina.
  • Vegetation cover change – analysis based on the CORINE Land Cover database, for the whole of AP Vojvodina and for selected protected areas. The data are classified by vegetation cover type, and changes are defined by level and by period.
  • Outdoor thermal comfort, urban design and the natural environment – analysis based on stationary and mobile measurements in different urban and natural settings, with a focus on extreme weather conditions (heat and cold waves). Thermal comfort is assessed using the PET, mPET and UTCI indices and mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), calculated with the RayMan and ENVI-met software packages. The results support concrete recommendations for improving urban design and increasing resilience to climate change and natural disasters.

Fieldwork

  • Obedska Bara (2022 and 2023) – biological and microclimate measurements at several forest sites.
  • Novi Sad (summers of 2022 and 2023) – microclimate and biometeorological measurements in different parts of the city.
  • Novi Sad (summer 2023) – biometeorological monitoring in several cafés, examining the effect of misting systems on microclimate conditions and on the human body.
  • Novi Sad (August 2024) – researchers from the Faculty of Sciences and the BioSense Institute carried out micrometeorological measurements in two urban parks, as part of research on the interaction between climate and biodiversity in urban areas. A scientific paper based on these measurements is planned.

Scientific Publications

  • Applications of local climate zone classification in European cities: A review of in situ and mobile monitoring methods in urban climate studies (2025). Open Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2025-0878
  • Dunjić, J., Stojanović, V., Milošević, D., Pantelić, M., Obradović, S., Vasić, M. (2025). Bioclimate conditions in the Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve – case study from Serbia. Időjárás, 129(3), 307–337. https://real.mtak.hu/224951
  • Obradović Strålman, S., Stojanović, V. (2025). Breaking boundaries: empowering women for sustainable tourism in Bačko Podunavlje biosphere reserve. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-025-06067-w
  • Obradović, S., Stojanović, V., Milić, D. et al. (2024). Wise use of wetlands trough community based sustainable tourism development. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 32, 303–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-024-09978-z
  • Milić, D., Rat, M., Bokić, B., Mudri-Stojnić, S., Milošević, N., Sukur, N., Jakovetić, D., Radak, B., Tot, T., Vujanović, D., Anačkov, G., Radišić, D. (2024). Exploring the effects of habitat management on grassland biodiversity: A case study from northern Serbia. PLoS ONE, 19(3), e0301391. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301391
  • Milentijević, N., Pantelić, M., Obradović, S., Radulović, M., Ristić, D., Stojanović, V., Dolinaj, D. (2024). Water quality evaluation of the Danube River basin in Bačka (northern Serbia) using multivariate statistical techniques. Geografie, 129(1), 15–41. https://doi.org/10.37040/geografie.2024.003
  • Savić, S., Krstić, H., Šećerov, I., Dunjić, J. (2024). Decreasing the energy demand in public buildings using nature-based solutions: case studies from Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia). Energy, Sustainability and Society, 14, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-024-00455-2
  • Savić, S., Šećerov, I., Lalić, B., Nie, D., Roantree, M. (2023). Air temperature and relative humidity datasets from an urban meteorological network in the city area of Novi Sad (Serbia). Data in Brief, 49, 109425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109425

Conference Participation

  • Savić, S., Bajšanski, I., Dunjić, J., Vasić, M., Milošević, D. (2025). Enhancing outdoor thermal comfort in densely built-up areas through green infrastructure. 12th International Conference on Urban Climate – ICUC12, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 7–11 July 2025, ICUC12-31. https://doi.org/10.5194/icuc12-31
  • Savić, S., Bajšanski, I., Dunjić, J., Vasić, M., Milošević, D. (2025). Mobile Microclimate Monitoring: Enhancing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Temperate Cities. EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 April – 2 May 2025, EGU25-4539. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4539
  • Savić, S., Milošević, D., Dunjić, J., Krstić, H., Šećerov, I. (2023). Greening the cities – Improving micro-scale thermal conditions and enhancing sustainable urban environments. EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, EGU23-1872. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1872
  • Milošević, D., Savić, S., Šećerov, I., Dunjić, J. (2022). Introducing Mobile Micrometeorological Carts (MMCs) for urban and non-urban micrometeorological measurements. EMS Annual Meeting 2022, Bonn, Germany, EMS2022-59. https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2022-59
  • Savić, S., Lužanin, Z., Arsenović, D., Milošević, D., Dunjić, J. (2022). Cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions during different outdoor thermal conditions in urban areas – A case study of Novi Sad (Serbia). EMS Annual Meeting 2022, Bonn, Germany, EMS2022-29. https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2022-29
  • International Conference on Hydro-Climate Extremes and Society, Novi Sad, Serbia

Media Appearances