A mixed Montenegrin-Italian team of experts, which studies the munika on both sides of the Adriatic, in an effort to determine its genetic adaptations to drought, has been conducting research on Orjen in recent days.
The project "Adaptive response of munika (Pinus heldreichii) to drought along the high-altitude transect in the Apennines and the Balkans" is being implemented in cooperation between researchers from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Montenegro (the project leader is Dr. Jelena Lazarevic) and the Institute for Biosciences and Bioresources of the National Research Council of Italy (Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse IBBS–CNR). The project manager is prof. dr. Giovanni Giussepe
"We study munica, which is an important species for our understanding of how trees adapt to climate change. We are conducting research in Montenegro and Italy, and by comparing samples from the same altitudes where munica grows in these two countries, we are investigating changes caused by climate change," said Dr. Andrea Piotti, a member of the Italian three-member team.
He stated that once the munica was very widespread in the Balkans and southern Italy, but now the population has become very small and scientists are interested in why? They are also investigating whether there is a crossing of munich pollen across the Adriatic Sea and from which direction. If there are no such conditions for crossing, these two groups, from southern Italy and from the Balkans, will move away from each other and in the long run will become two different species, Piotti asserted.
Dr. Jelena Lazarevic points out that the results of this project will contribute to the understanding of important issues in the field of evolution and migration of forest trees, as well as their adaptation to drought and other adverse environmental factors. The forests of Munika are extremely valuable due to the protection of biodiversity, and nowadays they are extremely threatened by forest fires, which are very difficult to control in these areas. "For this reason, the attention of the local population and the wider public should be continuously drawn to the importance of protecting these forests from fire", said Lazarevic.
Munika was collected in two populations in Orjen, then in Kučki planina, as well as in Prekornica. It is planned that the material will also be collected at Prokletije in the coming period.
The field work of the scientists in Orjen was supported by the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen, providing transport and guidance, while PK "Subra" hosted the scientists in the home "Orjen sedlo", where samples were taken and the samples were marked.
This project of scientific cooperation is supported and financed by the Ministry of Science of Montenegro and the National Research Council of Italy.
On the red list
The pine species Pinus heldreichii Christ, which is better known as munika, black mura, spruce pine, is a symbol of the Orjena mountain massif. Although it is between 10 and 60 million years old, it was only discovered in the middle of the 19th century.
Munika most often inhabits steep, stony and rocky terrains of the subalpine zone, and in this respect it has no equal. These are the places where the harshness of the mountain climate comes to its greatest expression. In search of the sun, it grows alone at altitudes between 100 and 2200 meters. Withstands extreme droughts. But also rainy periods. It grows slowly, but also for a long time. Specimens that are over 1.200 years old have been recorded.
Due to its rarity, the munica is on the international IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of threatened species, although with a low risk of endangerment. It is also protected by Montenegrin legislation.
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