The Ministry of Defense did not make a decision to suspend the afforestation of the Sinjajevina area, as stated in announcement of the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP), it was announced today from the Ministry of Defense.
"When it was decided on afforestation, the ministry made the decision by first consulting the profession (Forestry Administration, to which funds were redirected for that activity). Namely, the ministry suspended further afforestation of that mountain for the time being, due to the weather conditions during the winter months that prevail in Sinjajevina. In accordance with the Government's decision that a part of that mountain was given for the formation of a military shooting range, the Ministry is using this period to determine the zero state of the environment," the Ministry of Defense pointed out.
The announcement adds that preparations for the assessment of the zero state of the environment began at the end of last year.
"All tests of environmental parameters are foreseen, before carrying out military activities with live shooting, which are planned until the end of 2020. In that process, of course, all relevant institutions for the protection of nature and the environment (Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and Agency for the Protection of Nature and the Environment. When we receive the results and official recommendations of the authorized institutions, we will be able to decide on further steps regarding further reforestation of some parts of the mentioned mountain," said the Ministry of Defense.
They said that, as they have said many times before, they treat this very important resource with special care.
"In support of this is the fact that when planning the scope of biodiversity testing, we accepted the standards that are foreseen for the candidacy of that mountain for NATURA 2000. This means that, if Sinjajevina is accepted to be part of that European network, the Army of Montenegro will be a partner in that process , which is also the practice in the countries of the European Union. The Ministry of Defense and the Army of Montenegro are very careful about environmental protection and, of course, we will respect the voice of the profession when it comes to this issue. We remind you that Sinjajevina is recognized as a great area for a military shooting range , which the Government also confirmed, and in its decision from September 2019, designated that area to the Ministry of Defense for the establishment of the only such training ground in Montenegro," the statement of the Ministry of Defense states.
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