Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tuzla Canton have revised the region’s draft spatial plan to remove proposed mining and exploration areas covering lithium, boron, magnesium, copper, nickel and cobalt. The changes follow sustained opposition from residents and environmental groups and affect areas around Srebrenik, Čelić, Lukavac, Živinice, Banovići and Gračanica.
The revised spatial plan covers the period from 2025 to 2045. According to local reporting based on a document issued by the cantonal ministry responsible for spatial planning and environmental protection, the mining and exploration designations have been removed from the affected areas. The change remains subject to further institutional approval. The revised document must be approved by the Tuzla Canton government and assembly before the exclusions become legally effective. Until that procedure is completed, the changes remain proposed planning amendments rather than a final prohibition on the projects.
Original plan identified thousands of hectares
The initial draft spatial plan was adopted in May 2025 and designated thousands of hectares as potential areas for mineral exploration. Opponents of the proposed mining and exploration activities argued that some of the designated territory included productive agricultural land or was located near drinking-water sources.
Local assemblies in several affected municipalities subsequently adopted declarations or decisions opposing the projects. The campaign against the proposed exploration was coordinated by the Karton Revolucija movement, with technical support from the Sarajevo-based ACT Foundation.
Implications for critical-minerals exploration
The removal of the designated areas from the spatial plan changes the immediate development prospects for greenfield exploration in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The region has attracted exploration interest because of its base-metal deposits and potential critical raw materials, but mineral resources alone do not determine whether projects can advance through the development process.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s mining sector operates across a fragmented institutional structure, with permitting responsibilities spread among different government levels. The combination of regulatory complexity and increasing local opposition can add to the cost and uncertainty associated with exploration projects. The revised spatial designations could prevent concessions from progressing before companies undertake detailed exploration work in the affected locations. Changing the planning position at a later stage would require another process involving cantonal institutions and affected municipalities. The Tuzla Canton decision therefore places the future availability of areas identified for lithium, boron, magnesium, copper, nickel and cobalt exploration within the ongoing spatial-planning process, pending approval by the canton’s government and assembly.
