November 20, 2018 - Montenegro still has no protected habitats and protected marine areas, although three sites have long been proposed for protection, said the manager of the Monteaqua project, Radoje Laušević, at the "Marine and Coastal Protection of Montenegro" workshop at the Coastal Institute of Marine Biology.
The workshop was organized within the project "Marine Biodiversity Protection Center of the Aquarium of the Bay - MonteAqua", in cooperation with NGO MedCem from Sutomore.
The theme of the workshop was based on the EU Directive 92/43 / EEC (Habitats Directive), whose provisions relate to measures to preserve and restore habitats and animal and plant species of common interest, taking into account economic, social and cultural requirements and regional and local characteristics of the area.
The objective of the Monteaqua project, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and implemented by the Marine Biology Institute, is the creation of a network and platform for discussion on topics selected as priority and significant in the process of EU accession to Montenegro under Chapter 27 concerning environmental protection and fisheries, Lausević recalled:
"We hope that the created platform, bringing together experts from scientific research institutions, relevant state institutions, and NGO sectors, will enable active discussion and conclusion not only to be made but to provide access to data, which will be important for the designation of three protected marine areas in Montenegro," said Laušević.
Regarding future management of protected marine areas, Aleksandra Ivanović from the Public Enterprise Sea Property said that this institution has been responsible for the management of protected areas in the coastal zone since 2014: "We are responsible for 24 Protected Areas - 22 Beaches, Ratac peninsula, and Special Nature Reserve – Solila in Tivat". Also, the Sea Property will be responsible for protected areas in the sea as soon as they are established.
Protected Marine Areas and Fisheries
The Belgrade TV director, a passionate diver and environmental activist Dušan Varda, presented a project of the NGO Mediterranean Center for Environmental Monitoring (MedCEM) from Sutomore: "We are implementing a project to strengthen legitimate fisheries in future protected areas in the sea in Montenegro. It is funded by the Network of Managers of Protected Areas of the Mediterranean, Prince Albert of Monaco and the Little Foundation. The project consists of educating fishermen, workshops, brochures, and excursions for Montenegrin fishermen in protected areas in the sea in the surrounding countries - Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, Varda said.
The habitats become increasingly fragmented because of the increasing pressure they are dealing with, bringing together the decreasing number of plant and animal species, their distribution, as well as the value of goods and services that natural goods provide. Therefore, as concluded yesterday in Kotor, it is necessary to implement laws to improve the overall state of nature.
