It has been 10 years since the Association of Gorica and Nature Lovers took care of Gorica. Awareness grew nicely, so we slowly became, at least in the eyes of the walkers, silent heroes from 'cleaning fools'. One of the first to join us in the work actions was Jasna Gajević.
In those words, the activist and the director Mladen Ivanovic a few days ago, on the social network Facebook, the public was reminded of the beginnings of action on the hill in the center of Podgorica, which has since been given the status of a natural monument. With those words, Mladen informed those who follow him that Jasna will now continue to take care of Gorica in a different way - Jasna Gajević recently, after her resignation Dragutin Đeković, appointed acting director of the Agency for Management of Protected Areas in Podgorica.
"It's rare that someone is given the opportunity to get a job at this age that they didn't even dare to dream about, as is the case with me. I have been given the opportunity to take care of the common natural assets of all the citizens of Podgorica and I hope to use it to the general satisfaction", she said in an interview with "Vijesti".
She also talked about the importance of such an agency and the challenges ahead. She said that it is necessary to strengthen the Agency's personnel, so to begin with, as she said, she will double the number of rangers.
The author of the popular blog "Clarity of travel” and says that she will probably have less time to write, but also that she will try to delight readers with new stories whenever she can.
"There will be no shortage of material, I'm sure," she said.
What does the existence of the Agency mean for citizens and the environment?
The Agency for the Management of Protected Areas in Podgorica has been in existence since 2020, but it was only two years ago that the spatial and personnel conditions were met for it to start working. We are still in the phase of service development and capacity building. Until the moment when the citizens will feel the benefits of its existence, a lot still needs to be done. First of all, it has to strengthen its personnel and that is one of my current work priorities. Of the four protected areas under the jurisdiction of our Agency - Nature Monument "Park šuma Gorica", Nature Park "Komovi", Nature Park "Rijeka Zeta" and Nature Monument "Magara Cave", citizens of Podgorica are most familiar with Gorica. It is a pity that it has not been protected for a long time and that the construction "occupation" significantly reduced the area that remained in the second protection zone, but - better late than never.
Have you already recorded any problems, what are they, and what is the order of their resolution?
There are a lot of problems and they cannot be solved without the help of the City and city companies that take care of protected areas together with us. First of all, these are the Protection and Rescue Service, "Cistoca" and "Zelenilo". One of the biggest problems we face in the territory of the "Rijeka Zeta" Nature Park is the numerous wild landfills located in the area of Mareza. My fellow rangers alert "Čistoća" and provide information about the location of the landfill, but it often happens that landfills are on private land, so "Čistoća" cannot react. Landfills give a bad image to a country that calls itself ecological, and the potential harmful impact on nature has yet to be determined. All this is happening in the area of Mareza, where the city is supplied with water. Looking at those ugly pictures, I thought that one of our biggest tasks is to raise citizens' awareness about the environment.
What are the personnel and other capacities of the Agency?
The agency is not prepared in terms of personnel to follow all the tasks that are set before it. Not all positions provided for in the systematization have been filled. Currently, there are only eight employees in the Agency (together with me) and we are located in two geographically distant places. Steps have been taken to adapt additional space in the part where the ranger service is located (in the premises of the Shooting Center on Zabjelo) so that all employees, current and future, can be accommodated in one place. The agency has neither a lawyer nor an economist, without whom no company can function. Given that a large part of the territory under our protection is covered by forest, we plan to strengthen the professional service by hiring a forestry engineer. We have big plans when it comes to environmental education for children of preschool and primary school age, as well as tourism valorization of these areas. By the term "valuation" I mean introducing nature lovers from the country and abroad to the beauty of this area. We plan to hire one person for these jobs as well. Rangers, guardians of protected areas are the most exposed part of the Agency. Their task is very important, and their number is insufficient. For now, there are only three of them and we plan to hire three more, for the first time.
Along with staffing, what are the other priorities in the work of the Agency?
Since I started work a week ago, I did not manage to organize all the steps that I need to take. I am still in the "reconnaissance" and general planning phase. I will have an answer to this question after a month or two. I spent the first days getting to know the employees and their work tasks. With the ranger service, I visited part of the protected areas under the Agency's jurisdiction, the Nature Monument "Park Šuma Gorica" and the Nature Park "Rijeka Zeta". For next Sunday, we planned a tour of the part of the Nature Park "Komovi" that belongs to Podgorica, and thus falls under our protection. The Magara Cave has been a protected area since 1968, but very little was done to protect it all that time. The only thing that could be done in terms of its protection was to install a special door at the entrance that prevents people from entering and its further devastation, and at the same time protects the four species of bats that live in it, which are among protected species, which was done . The protection of this cave implies a series of steps that should be taken by other institutions. In order to present the Magara cave to the public, it is necessary to invest considerable resources. I would be happy if that happened during my mandate and I am sure that the employees of the Agency will do everything within our competence and within our capabilities.
You are often in the field, walking and visiting parts of Montenegro, you write about them. Is there an area for which the Agency is responsible, but you have not visited it?
During my walks in Montenegro, I visited most of the areas for which I am now in charge. The only thing is that I haven't had the chance to enter the Magara cave yet, but I hope I will soon. Also, when we visited part of the "Rijeka Zeta" Nature Park (which we "share" with the municipality of Danilovgrad), we arrived at the village of Lužnica, which I saw for the first time and which delighted me. Not that there isn't a wild dump there, but not even a piece of paper on the road.
Why are those areas important to you and what would you recommend to citizens of Podgorica, Montenegro and tourists to visit and why?
Gorica, I assume, has been visited by all residents of Podgorica, and for guests and tourists, it is certainly in the first place when they want to see some landmark of Podgorica. I lived in Zagorič for 20 years and went to Gorica very often, and later I was an active member of the Association of Gorica and Nature Lovers. Gorica is an oasis of greenery, peace, and clean air that any city would be proud of. The part of the "Komovi" nature park that belongs to Podgorica includes Bukumirsko and Rikavačko lakes, as well as the part of Komovi from the village of Opasanica to the Carine katun. All of these are pearls of nature that have already been recognized by our nature lovers and mountaineering societies. Maybe they are not recognized enough by tourists, so we need to work on that. Although, road infrastructure is partly a limiting factor for this. The nature of these areas is representative in every respect, and even Bilo od Carina is considered by some to be the most beautiful part of our country.
Will Jasna's travels continue to exist during this mandate?
I would like "Jasna's travels" not to die because of my obligations, but I probably won't be able to dedicate myself to them to the extent that I have been up to now. If I manage to tell one new story a month, I will be satisfied. There will be no shortage of material, I'm sure.
Will Jasna continue to participate in actions like those in Gorica?
As far as various clean-up actions are concerned, I have participated in many over the years. The years are piling up, so I'm not as physically ready as I used to be, but whenever a bigger action is organized, I join, not only in Gorica, but also on the seashore, around Solana, around Lake Skadar, next to the road Podgorica - Nikšić . I will continue to participate, that's for sure, and probably now, with the help of my colleagues, I will have the opportunity to be the initiator and organizer of similar actions.
Closer cooperation with the Forestry Administration is necessary
Do you and how much do you cooperate with other institutions, including educational institutions, NGOs, in what way?
The agency cooperates with non-governmental organizations, the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds, Green Home, the Association of Gorica and Nature Lovers, the NGO Psycho-guide and the NGO Parkovi Dinarida, and the plan is to invite all NGOs dealing with ecology, tourism, education... to join our work, to give ideas, to involve us through their projects. As far as institutions are concerned, apart from the listed municipal services, we have close cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology, Urbanism and Spatial Planning, the Agency for Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. We should also have close cooperation with the Forestry Administration, but we don't, so that is what I emphasize when it comes to future plans. We also have cooperation with the University of Montenegro, as well as with pre-school institutions and primary schools, but we will greatly intensify this cooperation.
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