After two years since the last salt harvest in the pools of the Ulcinj Saltworks, on July 12, the Đerana pump started operating.
The pumps at the salt pan, while this company was carrying out its economic activity, were used to pump out fresh water and pump salt water into the pools, in order to obtain salt through the combination of wind and sun. The low water level in the pools represented an ideal feeding ground for millions of birds that rested and fed on the salt flats, a bird airport on the African-Eurasian migratory corridor. The news about the activation of the pump was welcomed by numerous international institutions and organizations dealing with nature protection.
As the saltworks fell into bankruptcy, its valuable machinery stopped functioning as well as suffered numerous mechanical damages that made it impossible to pump water further in order to provide enough food for millions of birds. Seeing the hopeless situation of misunderstanding of the bankruptcy administration and the lack of their vision for tourism valorization and promotion of the salt pan, CZIP alerted the international public to create pressure so that the salt pan would finally be protected at the national and international level and the pumps would be put into operation.
The organization of the conference on April 8 and 9, which was attended by representatives of: the embassies of Germany, Poland and France, which gave the greatest support to our work, then representatives of the European Commission and the EU Parliament, as well as officials/representatives of international conventions, drew attention to the Montenegrin Government and the relevant Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism for the future protection of the salt pan. Thus, this locality became the main obstacle on the path of EU integration of Montenegro.
As the international public expected concrete actions, the Government's decision to allocate 160.000 euros for the repair of the pumps at the Ulcinj salt pan followed. So far, 27 thousand of the planned 34.000 euros have been invested with the UNDP donation. The result of these investments is the operation of the Đerana pump and the re-pumping of water into the salt basins.
However, the operational functioning was established with a delay of one month, as was foreseen by the conclusions of the conference, which led to the failure of the nesting of one of the most charismatic species on the salt flat, which represents a tourist attraction - flamingos.
In order for the restoration of the pumps and the return of water and thus life to the salt basins to be accompanied by adequate tourist promotion of the priceless wealth of ornitofauna, during the season, the CZIP, thanks to the Partnership Fund for Endangered Ecosystems, started placing promotional billboards throughout Montenegro in order to complete the tourist the offer of Montenegro and introduced tourists to the hidden gem of our coast.
For this purpose, 10 different billboards were placed at all border crossings in Montenegro as well as near the airport, which will be visible to tourists until October, that is, the end of the season.
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