Government policies must be directed towards the preservation and protection of sites that have the status of World Heritage, and not towards their endangerment and devastation, according to the Coalition for Sustainable Development (KOR).
On Thursday, the government decided to review the existing plan for the Durmitor area, taking into account the conclusions of the joint mission of the World Heritage Center and IUCN for the sake of the world heritage Durmitor National Park (NP), in order to reach a solution that will be based on targeted and controlled development.
KOR activist Aleksandar Dragićević told the MINA agency that the Coalition is satisfied with the Government's decision to review the existing planning solution of the Special Purpose Spatial Plan for the Durmitor area, and that they expect to spot mistakes and correct them.
As he stated, they hope that the Government will adopt the guidelines of the UNESCO expert in the future plan, who announced in his report from last year that the construction of new ski resorts would be negative for Durmitor, environmental protection and UNESCO World Heritage status.
"But also the citizens and restaurateurs of Žabljak who warned in previous years that the government's plans with Durmitor are not in accordance with UNESCO and that, if the plans come to fruition - the construction of new cable cars and the transfer of water from Modrog to the new reservoir, Durmitor can to lose both the World Heritage status, as well as its nature and beauty," added Dragićević.
He said that the citizens and restaurateurs of Žabljak in May, at the forum "UNESCO and Durmitor", pointed out the problem of planning the construction of new ski resorts without the consent and knowledge of UNESCO, and offered alternative solutions that are much cheaper and better for the local community. and are outside the boundaries of Durmitor National Park.
According to Dragićević, the Government and decision-makers have shown that they do not understand the prestige and importance of the status of World Heritage, but also how important this status is for the preservation of natural and cultural assets.
He reminded that Montenegro has two such localities, Kotor and Durmitor.
Government policies must be directed towards the preservation and protection of these localities, and not towards endangerment and devastation. We hope they understood that," concluded Dragićević.
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