The upper catchment contains Toolibin Lake, a nature reserve and Ramsar site.

The upper catchment is heavily wooded, although there is some urban development in the lower catchment.

But deforestation has resulted in much of the soil being released from the upper catchments.

Land use in the upper catchment is mostly beef cattle production with crops grown in the richer soils downstream.

The upper catchment is snow bound while the middle and lower catchment are thickly forested.

The entire upper catchment of Neretva constitutes a precious ecoregion with many endemic and endangered species.

Malewa river water quality has deteriorated because of more human activities in the upper catchment.

These result largely from the mainly urban character of the upper catchment.

South of the town is the upper catchments of the Atrek River.

The reserve was enlarged with the addition of the (recently logged) upper catchment of the Nadgee River in the 1970s.