Nearly 30,000 sign petition to ban land use change for burnt forests in Serbia

A petition demanding a minimum 30-year ban on changing the land use of burnt forests and forest land in Serbia has garnered nearly 30,000 signatures in under 48 hours. The "Kreni-Promeni" (Move-Change) movement launched the "Save Our Forests" petition, urging the government to implement this protective measure.

Beyond the land-use ban, the movement is also calling for the establishment of a public registry of fires, mandatory plans for the rehabilitation and restoration of significant burnt areas, and a large-scale forest renewal campaign involving citizens and experts. The petition has been submitted to the Serbian government, the National Assembly, and relevant ministries and state enterprises.

“

We are not claiming that there are investor interests behind the specific fires in Serbia. But that is precisely why we are seeking a law that will preemptively remove any possibility for anyone to profit from fires through land conversion in the future.

The initiative gains urgency as Serbia grapples with severe forest fires. Official statistics reveal that over 51,632 hectares of forest have been damaged by fires between 2006 and 2025. This summer has been particularly challenging, with the Deliblatska Peščara (Deliblato Sands) facing a critical situation. As of August 20, a fire had engulfed approximately 3,960 hectares, with 3,111 hectares being forest land, according to JP "Vojvodinašume."

"Kreni-Promeni" emphasizes that the petition does not claim specific fires are intentionally set for economic gain but seeks to preemptively close any possibility of profiting from forest destruction. "If burnt forests cannot become construction land for decades, the potential economic motive for such abuse disappears," the movement stated. They argue that a long-term ban on land-use change would remove the financial incentive for arson or negligence leading to fires.

“

If burnt forests cannot become construction land for decades, the potential economic motive for such abuse disappears.