Vulnerability assessment of the Josanicka river basin to torrential floods and forest fires

Abstract

Despite the fact that the torrential floods and forest fires in this century caused enormous damage to Serbia, there are no cadasters of torrential streams for most parts of the country, and there was no forest fires susceptibility zonation, whose indirect consequences include the intensification of torrential flooding. Therefore, it is necessary to approach solving these problems at a higher level, taking into account the synergistic effects of these disasters. In the catchment area of the Josanicka river, not only in this century, floods and forest fires have represented a very significant factors of the environmental change. For taking appropriate measures and reducing the possible consequences of these disasters in the near future, it is necessary to determine the most vulnerable areas, using various susceptibility indexes, GIS and remote sensing, but also to show how eventual occurrence of forest fires in such areas would result in increased flash flood vulnerability. Part of the Josanicka river basin is situated in National Park "Kopaonik", and the Josanicka spa, which could be, by its characteristics, one of the leaders of spa tourism in Serbia, is located in that basin, which further increases the need for protection of this territory from these hazards.