Almost everything is known about the Nikšić field, and yet a lot of it is unexplored, unused, forgotten. Its bridges are admired by tourists, foreigners talk about its hydrological phenomena, it entered the world literature, but it never "enters" our consciousness, and we never understand that the values we have are preserved in practice, not on paper.
The Nikšić field is precious precisely because you don't know whether to write about its cultural-historical values, geomorphological and hydrological treasures, ornithological importance, floristic gem or ecological importance.
You can write about the beauty of Zeta, the blue-green color of the Gornjepoljski vir, the reservoirs that are the water treasure of Nikšić, the Budo ponds, the unique Vidovo potok, Trebjesa, which is often called the lungs of the city, the Blace picnic area... and again, a lot will remain unsaid. That's why it's best to visit the Nikšić field, to blend in with it, to let the grass talk, the water gurgle, and the silence overpower the noise.
A mosaic in which not all the pieces are assembled yet
"The Nikšić field represents a real mosaic of geomorphological and hydrological features that are integrated into one whole, which makes it one of the most interesting and well-known karst fields in the world. It was created as a result of glacial processes that were very intense in this area, so the Gračanica and Zeta rivers filled the field with material from the northern, northeastern and eastern edges of the field.
Very characteristic surface (scrapes, sinkholes, coves) and underground (caves and pits) karst forms were formed in the area of the field itself and its immediate surroundings. In the field itself, hummocks (Trebjesa and Studenačke glavica) stand out as a result of extremely strong karst corrosion, which shaped this relief unit before being filled in," he says. prof. Dr. Goran Barović.
He points out that the Nikšić field, apart from its geomorphological features, also stands out for its hydrological characteristics, that the construction of artificial reservoirs (Krupac, Slano and Vrtac) in the zone of karst fields is considered a major and very demanding undertaking in the world, that the Zeta river is the largest sinkhole in this part of the Dinarid.
"The field is characterized by a very large number of springs that most often occur on its northern and western edges, and sinkholes, the most of which are in the southern zone of the field. It is difficult to talk about the precise number of sinkholes today, because the construction of the 'Gornja Zeta' Hydrosystem led to their being buried. The field is also specific in that it contains a large number of estavels (a hydrological object that sometimes functions as a spring and sometimes as a sink), the largest of which is the Gornjepoljski vir, also among the largest in the Dinarides. Due to its characteristics, and as a very rare phenomenon from the group of hydrological phenomena, Vid's stream (mukavaka or intermittent spring) stands out, which, depending on the inflow, occasionally releases water and then takes breaks and dries up. The Nikšić field has been researched a lot so far, and it entered the world literature due to its characteristics, but there is still room for further scientific work to shed light on its specificities," says Barović.
Home for "unusual" birds
If the birds were asked how important the Nikšić field is, they would talk about the habitat where they rest during exhaustive migrations, about the famous Adriatic corridor, about the temporary home where they know how to hide safely. The only question is how many would hear and understand them.
"If in Montenegro we had to make a list of the five most important habitats for birds coming from Africa for the winter, the Nikšić field would certainly be on that list. Most significantly, it does not gather 'ordinary' bird species. There are thousands of cranes nesting in the north of Europe, some species that are increasingly rare and threatened with extinction due to the fact that such habitats in Europe are increasingly disappearing due to urbanization and land reclamation," says the ornithologist. Darko Saveljic.
In addition to flood meadows, the Nikšić field is also rich in reservoirs (Slano, Krupac, Vrtac) that gather a large number of wintering birds in the winter months. Saveljić points out that the Nikšić field is not only important for the "transit of birds during migration", but is also an important nesting ground for very rare birds in Montenegro.
"That is why it is very important that every intervention, every human work in the Nikšić field must be subject to an assessment of the impact on the environment. Especially important birds of the Nikšić field and the reservoir, and where they gather in large numbers, are: grebe, crane, fendak, vivak, prudnik ubica, little sparrowhawk. Baljoške also gather there after Lake Skadar, it is the most important gathering place for them during the winter. The Environmental Protection Agency and Elektroprivreda have installed five poles, these days we are also installing nests, all to encourage storks to start nesting there, because we only have one pair in Montenegro, and that's in Polimska street in Berane," emphasizes Saveljić.
And while they are encouraging the storks, those who know that the Nikšić field is much more than the field and the city that is located in it, hope that people will not "mess up" their accounts.
Dalmatian bell with the seal of Nikšić
Quality has always been above quantity, as the Nikšić field shows. Although in terms of the number of plant species, it cannot boast of great richness, it can boast of the presence of endemic species that are linked exclusively to the periodically weeded karst fields.
"About 300 plant species are recorded in the area of Nikšić field, and its specificity in the floristic aspect is reflected in the presence of several Balkan endemics as well as several species protected by national legislation. Among the Balkan endemics, the meadow civet, a species with international protection status, stands out, as well as the Dalmatian bluebell, a species that has so far only been recorded in the area of the Nikšić field. Among the plants protected by national legislation, marsh gladiolus stands out, another species with international protection status in the Nikšić field," he says. Dr. Nada Bubanja whose name is associated with the first detailed floristic research of vascular plants in the Nikšić field.
She researched the area of wet and watery habitats of part of the field, the Budoška pond - the Vrtac reservoir, the upper course of the Zeta river, from Brezovik to Budoš, and the Krupac reservoir with surrounding marshy meadows and water basins. He reminds that the first botanical studies of vascular plants in the Nikšić field are related to the period after the creation of the Nikšić reservoirs, i.e. for the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century.
"Algologists and botanists from Serbia, Jelena i Živojin Blaženčić, at the end of the 20th century, during a short tour of the Nikšić field, the research precisely connects to the reservoirs Krupac, Slano and Liverovići and in them they record several types of algae and vascular plants", says Bubanja.
Vidov potok and Studenacke glavice await protection
That there is still plenty of space for protected buildings in Nikšićko polje is also shown by the fact that some localities have been waiting to be protected for more than two decades. Unfortunately, people don't wait, so some parts are devastated to such an extent that they are in danger of losing the uniqueness for which their protection was sought. The local administration promises that the story of their protection will no longer be just a dead letter on paper, so they announce the protection of Vidov potok, Studenacke glavica and Blace, King's Zabran and Gračanica springs, Lukavica with Veliki and Mali Žurim, Orjen and Bijela gora on Grahovo, a puddle on Osječanica near Grahovo, Bjeloševska bar near Morakovo...
Biologist Boro Vuković, from the Secretariat for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection, reminds that of the three protected nature objects, two are located in Nikšić polje - Gornjepoljski vir and Trebjesa.
"Upper Poland's whirlpool is the largest, most pronounced and at the highest absolute height (628m) of estavel in Montenegro and the Dinarides, circular in shape, diameter about 94 meters, depth over 90 meters. As a strong hot spring, the Gornjepoljski Vir "works" usually from mid-October to mid-June. Immediately before the start of functioning as a spring, the characteristic phenomenon of 'bursting' of the spring occurs here, which is a consequence of the sudden flow of water and the presence of air", explains Vuković.
At the 2014 session, the Municipal Assembly of Nikšić made a decision to place the Gornjepolski Vir under protection as a natural monument.
"When it comes to the Nikšić field, the initiative was launched for Studenacke glavice and Vidov potok. "The upper course of the Zeta River is also being protected," says Vuković.
Trebjesa was placed under protection in 2001 by the decision of the Nikšić Municipal Court. According to Vuković, there are over 127 herbaceous and more than 250 woody plants on the small area of 40 hectares, which is occupied by the hill of Trebjesa.
"The research so far has recorded 15 endemic species of the Balkans, and therefore Trebjesa entered the list of important IPA habitats. A special stamp on the flora is given by plants from the orchid family, of which 12 species have been recorded so far. It is also a significant site of a large number of animal species, many of which are on the European and world red lists, for which endangered categories have been determined. Research has established the existence of six species of snails, 56 species of insects, 54 species of birds as well as 15 species of fungi, some of which have the status of internationally important species, which is not a final number. "Many of these organisms are on the red lists for which endangered categories have been determined, and some are protected by international conventions," Vuković points out.
He reminds that between the two world wars, in 1929, a biology teacher worked at the Nikšić High School Marija Zafirović.
"On her way around Trebjes and the surrounding area, she noticed the species Dioscorea balcanica, which she sent to her professor, a famous botanist, academic Nedeljka Košanin from Belgrade, who described this endemic and relict species new to science. It is interesting that specimens of the endemic species Dalmatian hyacinth, which were collected by a botanist on Trebjesa as far back as 1936 a crack, they still exist in the herbarium collection of the biological institute in Ljubljana", says the biologist.
He notes that before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Trebjesa was visited by a group of scientists from China interested in opening a factory for the production of medicinal plants in Nikšić.
Nikšić - the city of water
Aleksandar Perovic, director of the ecological movement "Ozone", points out that natural resources are always under attack from human and systemic carelessness, and that the Nikšić field is, unfortunately, a true indicator of this.
"It is a consequence of poor management and the absence of adequate environmental protection measures. The waters of Gornja Zeta, as part of the Nikšić field, are of exceptional ecological importance and are recognized as a potential part of the NATURA 2000 network, so for years we have been warning that the most urgent need is to provide an appropriate level of legal protection, but, unfortunately, without visible results," says Perović.
He points out that the main sources of pollution with nitrogen compounds are municipal and industrial waste water, septic tanks, the use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture and animal waste, as well as that the functioning of wastewater treatment plants is still unknown to citizens.
"Like the Zeta River and the artificial reservoirs Krupac and Slano, they are threatened by poaching and unplanned stocking, which has a negative impact on the entire ecosystem. Over the years after the formation of artificial reservoirs, they have gained exceptional ecosystem importance, which opens up the possibility of receiving an appropriate level of protection, especially since they are also recognized in international standards. The negative consequences caused by uncontrolled waste disposal should not be overlooked, especially at the unorganized municipal landfill Mislov do, from which untreated leachate flows into the Nikšićko polje, thereby endangering groundwater," warns Perović.
That, he says, does not have to be the case, bearing in mind the peculiarities of the Nikšić field, and above all its water wealth.
"Nikšić has enough potential to be a tourist destination, especially in the part of so-called scientific tourism. The Nikšić field has exceptional potential for sustainable development, and we see it as a key argument for branding Nikšić as a city of water, which is what we proposed to the local self-government," says the director of "Ozon".
He only hopes that Nikšić's water field will not pass the same time as the city square with linden trees.
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