The government's intention to build part of the highway over Rijeka Crnojevića, and not over Lake Skadar itself, would certainly have a significant impact on the wealth of that National Park, several Montenegrin and European experts in the field of nature protection agree. European experts suggest that the road should be moved as far as possible from the borders of the park.
Lake Skadar was declared a National Park less than 40 years ago. In the meantime, it was on the list of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar), and due to the presence of more than 280 species, it was also on the list of international importance for birds. It is rich not only in animal and plant species, but also in drinking water, so only one of its sources supplies the entire Montenegrin coastline.
And although we are still waiting for the commissioning of the first section, the Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic at the presentation of the "Montenegro Now" investment program, said that the highway will not be built across Skadar Lake, but via Rijeka Crnojevića.
"The highway bypasses Lake Skadar, because it protects the National Park," he said at the presentation of the program in the second half of November.
The very idea of building across Rijeka Crnojević is at least fifteen years old. In the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment for the highway plan (August 2008), the possibilities of crossing over Lake Skadar (lake or A variant) and through the canyon of Rijeka Crnojevića (land or B variant) were considered.
"Lake Skadar represents the highest level of protection and priority of nature in Montenegro, so it should be treated as such", states the document, in which it is stated that the impact on the area "is not negligible in both variants".
Although it is stated that the variant of crossing the lake would have a worse impact, the Strategic Impact Assessment points out that the road over Rijeka would have a greater negative impact on mammals and macaques, but that it would also have an impact on the bird population. The document claims that in this case, the negative impact that the road can have on the discharge of polluted storm water from the road into Lake Skadar is "insignificant".
In many documents, the Crnojevića River is counted among the most important tributaries of Lake Skadar.
NECESSARY INVOLVEMENT OF SCIENTISTS
Hydrologist Golub Ćulafić he explained that the water comes underground from Cetinjsko polje, and that the river itself springs from the Obod cave and flows into the lake after 13 kilometers.
"Taking into account the seasonal fluctuations in the level of Lake Skadar, the lower and middle part of the Crnojević River is submerged by the waters of the lake in one part of the year, so it becomes one of its tributaries," said Ćulafić for Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG).
Although he points out that he is not familiar with the plan to build a highway across Rijeka, he believes that it is absolutely necessary to involve the wider scientific community, as well as eminent experts in the field of hydrogeology, hydrology and all related disciplines that deal with the study of natural processes when choosing the future route.
"The basin, spring and river course of the Rijeka are already under a certain anthropogenic pressure due to the infiltration of municipal water from the Cetinje field into the underground, and the fact that Cetinje does not yet have a wastewater treatment plant. This situation also worsens during heavy rains, when a large part of the Cetinje field turns blue and collects waste water from a larger area, which enters the underground and ends up in Rijeka Crnojevića", he warns.
In his opinion, special attention must be paid to researching the "zero" state of the natural environment, primarily due to the hydrogeological specificities of the mentioned area, and due to the fact that it is under state protection and is special in many ways.
In the Strategic Impact Assessment, it is stated that this variant ensures the protection of the NP Skadarsko jezero, that "thereby the future highway will not be on the territory of the NP, and Rijeka Crnojevića is bridged at an elevation above the factual border of the NP".
However, Rijeka Crnojevića itself and its surroundings are located within the Skadar Lake NP, which was confirmed by CIN-CG and the National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG). The spatial plan of special purpose for NP Skadarsko jezero prescribes two protection zones. In addition to the boundaries of the NP itself, the boundaries of the protected (buffer) zone are also defined. This Spatial Plan has expired, and another one has not been adopted in the meantime.
The route will be defined through the new Spatial Plan of Montenegro (PPCG) until 2040, which MPs expect to be presented to them by April. PPCG development manager Svetlana Jovanovic she said that at the moment she cannot give specific answers regarding the highway in this part of the country, but that a land variant is proposed "which avoids crossing the Skadar Lake and completely avoids the protected area of the National Park".
"When considering variants of road corridors, spatial aspects are analyzed in terms of connection of certain areas, aspects of space protection, traffic and engineering criteria, in order to propose optimal solutions", she explained to CIN-CG how the process is going.
The Government could not specify exactly where the highway would go across Rijeka Crnojević.
The Prime Minister's Office said that no final decision has been made on this issue.
"The biggest advantage is that, in that case, the National Park is bypassed, and thus the environment in that area is protected. Therefore, the path that someone has drawn across Lake Skadar, which is the shortest, is unsustainable. That is why, when making the final decision, we will take into account the responsible attitude towards the environment and every decision will be in that interest", said the cabinet.
The Ministry of Capital Investments (MKI) said that the Feasibility Study of the highway with preliminary solutions is being prepared, and its completion is expected this year. The preparation of the Study is financed by grants from the European Commission, which were allocated through the mechanism of the Investment Framework for the Western Balkans.
"The conceptual solutions as part of the Study will recommend the preferred position of the route, which will be finally defined through the preparation of technical documentation at a higher level of detail - the conceptual, that is, the main project. It is important to point out that applicable relevant regulations will be respected, with special attention to environmental protection", the MKI promises.
THE EXAMPLE OF TARA REMINDER
Although it was often emphasized that special attention was paid to the protection of the environment during the construction of the highway, this was not done on the example of Tara, a river that is protected by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
And the European Commission, in its latest report, asked the Montenegrin authorities to take urgent measures to "preserve and improve the ecological value of protected areas and potential 'Natura 2000' sites", among which Tara and Lake Skadar are highlighted. The EC notes in the report that work is still being done to fulfill the recommendations of the Berne Convention, before which the case concerning construction on Lake Skadar has been pending for years.
A group of citizens of Virpazar and the non-governmental organization Green home initiated the case primarily because of the construction of the Mihailovići na Jezera settlement, but also because of the highway plan, demanding that the idea of crossing the Rijeka Crnojevića be abandoned. The representatives of the permanent committee of the Berne Convention shared their concerns about the construction plan across Rijeka.
Spokesperson for the European Commission Ana Pisonero Hernandez she said that this institution "considers all environmental issues related to the protection of Lake Skadar of utmost importance and cooperates with the Ministry of Capital Investments on the development of plans for the highway Bar - Boljare".
"All ecological restrictions from the Bar-Boljara highway plan were evaluated and the Commission recommended a solution that goes through the border area of Lake Skadar in order to bypass ecologically sensitive areas," she told CIN-CG.
He also says that the position of the Commission is that "this road should meet the highest possible environmental standards, while providing the highest value for the money invested for the entire project".
Regarding the announcement of crossing Rijeka Crnojević, from the National Parks of Montenegro, they said that their representatives "were not participants in meetings related to this issue". They added that they will decide on this when they are familiar with all the relevant data.
"We emphasize that NPCG's priority is the protection of biodiversity and nature conservation, not only regarding this possible project, but regarding any project that would threaten the biodiversity of protected areas," said the company headed by Aleksandar Bulatović.
To the Minister for Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Ratko Mitrović the representatives of the Regional Waterworks have already written. The regional water supply manages Bolje sestrema, the spring from which Primorje is supplied. Less than a year ago, CIN-CG announced that the yield of the source was drastically reduced, and that the damage was partly caused by the deepening of the Morača bed by gravel extraction. Morača is the main tributary of Lake Skadar.
THE LAKE VARIANT CARRIES NUMEROUS RISKS
The lake variant, which was abandoned in principle, would pass by the sanitary protection zone of the Regional Water Supply.
"That is why there are real risks, which during the construction and exploitation of the highway could cause disruptions to the established water regime... we suggest that before the final decision on the route selection, a targeted study of the impact of the construction and exploitation of the road on the sanitary protection zone of the only regional springs in Montenegro. We submit the above-mentioned suggestions in order to avoid the least harmful consequences on the management of the regional water supply system", it is stated in the letter, which CIN-CG had access to.
On the sidelines of last month's CIN-CG conference on the topic of chapter 27 of the negotiations - environment and climate change, the author of the text spoke with several nature protection experts about the impact of the possible construction of a highway across Rijeka Crnojević. While one of the interlocutors suggested that the existing crossing over Vranjina should only be modernized, everyone agreed that in case of construction, it would be best to avoid NP Skadarsko jezero and its "buffer" zone.
Austrian geologist and hydrologist Ulrich Schwarz he told CIN-CG that the bridge over Rijeka Crnojević "would be a drastic visual element in this beautiful, almost untouched part of the lake".
On the territory of Rijeka Crnojevića and its surroundings there are several cultural assets, among which are Prince Danilo's Bridge, Church of St. Nicholas, Church of St. John the Baptist, House of St. Peter Cetinjski, Obod Crnojevića...
One of the options he proposes is to build a highway following mostly the existing road direction near Cetinje and heading southeast, but it would be longer (63 instead of some 48 kilometers) and more expensive.
"Personally, I would vote for the most expensive, but in the long term, the most sustainable solution, bypassing Lake Skadar as much as possible and working to develop tourism along the Adriatic coast by getting a road along the coast and building many tunnels, but the terrain is difficult and, I repeat, expensive would be a lot", he stated.
The natural beauty attracted almost 150.000 visitors
About 60.000 visits were recorded last year in NP Skadarsko jezero, while the record was recorded two years earlier - more than 145.000 visits.
"In Skadar Lake National Park, tourists are most interested in cruising in the water area, because it allows visitors to enjoy natural beauty, but also cultural and historical monuments," said the head of the Service for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Aleksandar Mijović.
Speaking about the problems they face in the direction of preserving and improving its ecological values, Mijović said that it is necessary to draw up a new Special Purpose Spatial Plan for Lake Skadar as soon as possible, as well as a fishing base that would provide more precise data on the state of the ichthyofauna, define measures that will be implemented in order to protect and preserve the fish stock...
A major threat to Lake Skadar is the process of pollution by organic and inorganic substances that enter the lake through surface and underground water.
He also highlighted fishing during bans, as well as illegal means of catching fish.
"Anthropogenic impacts are primarily present through the disturbance of birds on Lake Skadar, as a result of tourist activities, as well as the activities of local fishermen and sports fishermen. Of course, poaching is one of the pressures on the bird fauna," said Mijović.
The impact on birds is multiple
Ornithologists from the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) warned that the negative impact of highway construction on bird biodiversity can be multiple, emphasizing mortality caused by traffic, noise and air pollution.
"The passage of the highway would increase the frequency of traffic on the section within the boundaries of the NP, and therefore the disturbance and impact on birds and other organisms would be greater... not to mention the negative impact of the entire construction process of the section - blasting, machine operation, noise , dust, air pollution... on the ornithofauna in the National Park, which is particularly risky during the nesting period", said representatives of the CZIP.
Lake Skadar is located on the Adriatic migratory route, so for many birds it is a stopover during the migration period where they rest, feed, and later continue their journey. During the winter, the lake is home to up to 250.000 waterfowl, which fly to the largest lake in Montenegro from the north of Europe to spend the winter there.
Imagine a bridge over Paul's side
We are not opposed to the highway project, but we are against it going across NP Skadarsko jezero, said Milan Knežević, who is the plaintiff in front of an informal group of citizens from Virpazar near the Berne Convention.
"The planned road, that is, the bridge, should go right across Pavlo's side. It means exactly in the place that should be visually protected as a symbol of the entire park. Now imagine how the same highway was built across the UNESCO-protected Tara River," said Knežević.
During the construction of the bridge over Tara, the river bed was moved, and the non-governmental sector indicated that numerous environmental standards were violated.
Representatives of UNESCO, who visited a part of Tara in November 2018, submitted a report in which they stated that the area is "full of landfill and discarded material", and that it is clear that the effects on the environment will remain visible even after the completion of the construction of the auto- times.
The "land" version of the highway is one kilometer shorter than the version across the Skadar lake. In the Strategic Impact Assessment, it is stated that over the submerged canyon of Rijeka Crnojevića, a bridge would be chosen from the Rudina massif on the right bank towards the slopes of Bozukova glava, or from the Lisinja massif further upstream on the right, to the Pavlova side on the left bank of the river. The central span of the bridge does not have to be more than 200 meters, according to the document.
Since we could not get details about the route from the Government, plans from the Strategic Impact Assessment were used.
The research story is supported through the project "SOS Skadar Lake - Keeping the Montenegrin Wilderness Wild" implemented by the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds and financed by the Partnership Fund for Endangered Ecosystems (CEPF). The goal of the project is to provide long-term protection of the Skadar Lake National Park.
CIN-CG
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