Diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) is one of the major factors causing water pollution in Lakes Palić and Ludaš, the two largest shallow lakes of the Pannonian Basin in Serbia. These two lakes are protected under national and international law. On the basis of the number of strictly protected bird species, Ludaš Lake has been classified as a wetland of international importance since 1977 (Ramsar site 3YU002); in 2021, both lakes were nominated as potential Natura 2000 areas. Despite the degree of protection and ecological significance of the area, agricultural land prevails. By a process of land expropriation during 2019, the buffer zone began to expand around the lakes, which should lead to a reduction in pollution. One of the goals of buffer-zone development is to enhance and restore the ecological connectivity of the remaining forest-steppe habitats. During the expropriation process, soil was sampled to record areas with the highest pollution. This paper assesses the environmental risk caused by phosphorus, nitrogen, and the accumulation of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, Mn, Cd, and Hg). For each heavy metal, the corresponding pollution indices (Igeo, PI, EF, Eri, RI, Nemerow) and soil contamination level were calculated. Pollution indices indicate the ecological risk under the influence of heavy metals in the following order: Cd > Cu > Ni > Zn > Pb > Cr > Hg. Results showed that concentrations of Cd exceeded the maximal permissible concentration in all examined soil samples, and high ecological risk areas were determined. High concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were detected, which could be as a result of intensive agricultural activity. Current conservation measures in this area have not provided adequate protection of the natural environment. Accordingly, existing measures must be controlled or new, more restrictive measures must be prescribed.

Acidification, as a form of soil degradation is a process that leads to permanent reduction in the quality of soil as the most important natural resource. The process of soil acidification, which in the first place implies a reduction in soil pH, can be caused by natural processes, but also considerably accelerated by the anthropogenic influence of excessive S and N emissions, uncontrolled deforestation, and intensive agricultural processes. Critical loads, i.e. the upper limit of harmful depositions (primarily of S and N) which will not cause damages to the ecosystem, were determined in Europe under the auspices of the Executive Committee of the CLRTAP in 1980. These values represent the basic indicators of ecosystem stability to the process of acidification. This paper defines the status of acidification for the period up to 2100 in relation to the long term critical and target loading of soil with S and N on the territory of Krupanj municipality by applying the VSD model. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) geostatistic module was used as the interpolation method. Land management, particularly in areas susceptible to acidification, needs to be focused on well-balanced agriculture and use of crops/seedlings to achieve the optimum land use and sustainable productivity for the projected 100-year period.

The research presented in this paper was aimed at better understanding of the relationship between soil properties and the availability of trace elements in pasture soils. The research was conducted in several localities of Stara Planina mountain (Babin zub, Javor I, Javor II and Prelesje), where the dominant soil type is acid humus siliceous soil (Dystric leptosol) characterized by the presence of the Agrostietumvulgaris (capillaris) community Z. Pavl., 1955. In all localities the soil sampling was performed at fixed depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10 -20 and 20 - 40 cm. The pseudo-total contents of trace elements (Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn) (extracted with aqua regia solution), as well as the available contents (extracted with the DTPA chelating agent) in the soil were measured by AAS. The pseudo- total content of trace elements in the soil studied are lower or within the limits for multifunctional land use. A correlation was established between the content of available trace elements in soil and the content of pseudo-total trace elements, as well as between these contents and the properties of the soils studied.

Geostatistical methods are important in analyzing natural resources providing input data for complex mathematical models that address environmental processes and their spatial distribution. Ten interpolation methods and one empirical-based classification grounded in empirical knowledge, with a total of 929 soil samples, were used to create the most accurate spatial prediction maps for clay, sand, humus, and soil depth in Montenegro. These analyses serve as a preparatory phase and prioritize the practical application of the obtained results for the implementation and improvement of the MEDALUS model. This model, used to assess sensitivity to land degradation, effectively integrates into broader current and future research. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating auxiliary variables, such as topography, climate, and vegetation data, enhancing explanatory power and accuracy in delineating the environmental characteristics, ensuring better adaptability to the studied area. The results were validated by the coefficient of determination (R²) and root mean square error (RMSE). For the clay, EBKRP (empirical Bayesian kriging regression prediction) achieved R² = 0.35 and RMSE = 6.95%, for the sand, it achieved R² = 0.34 and RMSE = 17.38%, for the humus, it achieved R² = 0.50 and RMSE = 3.80%, and for the soil depth, it achieved R² = 0.76 and RMSE = 5.36 cm. These results indicate that EBKRP is the optimal method for accurately mapping soil characteristics in future research in Montenegro.

The structure and function of many forest ecosystems will be modified as a result of air pollution and climate change. Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) forests are among the first terrestrial ecosystems to respond to this change. We analysed how changes in climate and environmental factors will affect vegetation cover in Norway spruce forests and whether it is possible to assemble a list of diagnostically important/sensitive species that would be the first to react to changes in habitats of Norway spruce in Central Balkan. Significant changes in the vegetation cover of Norway spruce forests are mainly influenced by temperature increases (≈4 °C), and precipitation decreases (≈102 mm) by the end of the 21st century. Projections show that vegetation cover changes and future habitat conditions for Norway spruce forests on podzolic brown soils with a low base saturation and soil pH decreases, and temperature growth and precipitation decline, with the worst in the Rodope montane forest ecoregion. In Dinaric Mountain and Balkan mixed forest ecoregions, the range of natural occurrence of Norway spruce forest will shift to higher altitudes, or to the north. One of the cognitions of this paper is that, through available environmental models and their indices, species from the IUCN Red List should be recognised more properly and included in model calculations.