The status of Kotor on the UNESCO World Heritage List is unchanged, but Montenegro must decide whether in the future it will follow the instructions to protect the unique universal value of the area, or whether the area of Boka will be irretrievably destroyed, removed from the list of civilized nations and entered into the list of barbarians. , Vladimir Jokić, the first man of the Kotor Municipality, told "Vijesta".
Two days ago, at the 42nd session, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee made a decision on the protected area of Kotor.
Among other things, Montenegro is required to continue the moratorium on construction, abandon the proposed cable car project and submit planning documents.
Explaining the reasons for abandoning the cable car project, UNESCO states that this will prevent any negative impact on the "outstanding universal value of the property".
"The fact is that the status of Kotor on the UNESCO list has not changed, as well as that the Committee, together with other bodies, highly values the exceptional universal value of the protected area. The decision foresees that a reactive UNESCO mission will come to Kotor in September to assess the situation on the ground. this is the moment when all the next steps that need to be taken should be defined in order to preserve the universal value of the area and to open up space for further development that will not in any way endanger what we have left as a legacy", said Jokić.
This, he adds, could be the moment when the paradigm of action in Montenegro will change and when sustainable development will finally and truly begin.
"UNESCO and the Committee give instructions and advice, and it is up to us to decide how we will act," said Jokić.
The deadline for sending a new report on the state of preservation of all components of the property and the implementation of the required measures is February 1, 2019.
Protection or no construction
According to UNESCO, the moratorium on new construction and development should be maintained until a complete package of planning and protective measures is in force.
"If we had been smarter, we could have built and developed. Since we showed that we don't know how to plan the space wisely, then the ban, we used up the credits," is the comment on the UNESCO measure by Biljana Gligorić from the NGO Expeditio.
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