Illegal logging and construction, as well as poaching, are the most common external pressures on protected areas in Montenegro.
This is stated, among other things, in the "Analysis of shortcomings in existing policies and practices, which relate to protected areas".
The analysis, the preparation of which began on December 25, 2022 and ended in July, was conducted by "Parks Dinarida" and "The Nature Conservancy".
One of the authors, Jelena Marojević Galic from "Parks Dinarida", she said that the work on the document showed that the production of new protected areas since 2015 "is not accompanied by the establishment of an adequate management structure, nor adequate capacities".
"There is an obvious lack of systemic support for protected areas, especially when it comes to planning and their financing. Especially at the local level. Local self-governments, as the founders of these areas, in many cases do not understand their function and importance, and look at them as spending units in the budget," she told "VIjesta".
That is why, he adds, allocations for their work are often inadequate, and are reduced to basic salary costs, while funds for field work and technical equipment are absent.
"Protected areas are often expected to be self-sustaining and to generate revenue through entrance fees or other services, so often all park capacities are put at the service of tourism, while the function of nature protection, for which they were established, is neglected. In addition to the fact that some protected areas do not have adequate uniforms for the work of supervisors in the field or do not have established protection services, it is a devastating fact that most of them do not have a professional service or at least an employed biologist who would adequately monitor the state of the environment," said Marojević Galić.
They cover almost 15 percent of the territory
In Montenegro, 80 areas have protected status. They cover about 13 percent of land and 1,87 percent of sea territory.
The largest part of the protected areas, more than seven percent, consists of five national parks - Durmitor, Lake Skadar, Lovćen, Biogradska gora and Prokletije. In the remaining 75, there are three nature reserves, two special reserves, nine nature parks, 59 natural monuments and two areas of exceptional characteristics.
The authors of the analysis state in the document that out of all 80 areas, management plans have been prepared for only 13 of these valuable areas, and that protection studies have been prepared for 22. They also add that there are still no managers for 27 areas that enjoy national protection, while annual management programs for this year to bring in just six.
A Protection Study is prepared for each of the protected areas in the process of establishment. Out of 80, the study was done for only 22, and the audit is necessary for 63 protected areas.
"The protection study is the basic document for the establishment of a protected area, and thus is a prerequisite for adequate management, because the study and the declaration act determine the boundaries of the area, protection zones, target species and habitats, as well as allow and prohibit activities in the protected area". the authors state.
As they add, the revision is mandatory for all those protected areas that were declared before the entry into force of the Law on Nature Protection from 2008, because such an obligation did not exist in the previous law.
"Additionally, the revision is done when there are no defined boundaries and/or data on the reasons for protection (data on habitats and species), as well as if there is a change in the natural values of the existing protected area", they state in the analysis.
They add that the Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of preparing audit studies of protected areas for 43 areas, including the national parks "Lovćen", "Skadarsko jezero", "Durmitor" and "Biogradska gora".
"Which will significantly improve the situation on this issue (81%), however, there will still remain a significant number of protected areas for which it is necessary to implement audit procedures in the earliest possible period," the authors of the analysis point out.
Without steering wheel 27 natural monuments
Once a protected area is established, in order for its management to be sustainable, it is necessary to have a manager. Managers, however, out of 80, there are still 27 protected areas in Montenegro.
The authors of the analysis indicate that all areas that do not have managers are in the category of natural monuments.
"These protected areas are usually small in size, they have great potential in the context of tourism, but they need to be additionally protected, valorized and promoted...", the document adds.
Local governments usually appoint a secretariat that deals with environmental issues as managers of natural monuments. In Bijelo Polje, for example, the authors explain, the plan is to establish a company that will manage all protected areas on the territory of that municipality.
Since Tivat and Cetinje are among the natural monuments and parks, local administrations have defined utility companies as managers.
The only public-private partnership, when it comes to the management of a protected area, is present in the case of the natural monument "Lipska Pećina".
The analysis states that interest in such a model has been expressed by several other managers, among them the Municipality of Nikšić, for the Arboretum on Grahovo.
In the case of nature parks, the municipality usually establishes a special company - doo - for management
For parks that are located in the territory of several municipalities, several managers have been determined. Thus, the Municipality of Kolašin has appointed the Secretariat for Environmental Protection to manage the Nature Park "Komovi" on its territory, the Agency for Management of Protected Areas Podgorica is the manager on the territory of the Capital City, while the Nature Park "Komovi" doo is the manager of the part located on the territory municipality of Andrijevica.
The authors of the analysis indicate that in the case of multiple managers, it would be good to establish a specific coordination structure "that would provide adequate management".
Until the establishment of the joint venture, there are two managers in the case of the "Rijeka Zeta" Nature Park, which is located in the territories of the municipalities of Danilovgrad and Podgorica.
A nature park, a natural monument, but also a strict reserve, a special reserve and an area of exceptional characteristics, which are located on the territory of the national park, are managed by the person who manages the national park.
The National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG), in addition to the national parks, manage the Nature Park "Ulcinjska Solana" and the Botanical Garden "Dulovine".
Protected areas located in the area of the marine property are managed by the legal entity responsible for the management of the marine property.
Better train guards and security guards
Measures and activities for the protection and preservation of the protected natural area are contained in the management plan, which is adopted for a period of five years. Management plans, however, are stated in the analysis, out of 80 protected areas, there are 13 - national parks, and nature parks "Orjen", "Platamuni", "Katič", "Stari Ulcinj", "Komovi" on the territory of the Capital City, " Beer", the Lipska Cave and the Great City Park of Tivat.
Based on the questionnaire that was distributed to the municipalities, that is, the managers, the authors of the analysis state that the conclusion is imposed that the managers generally do not prepare regular annual plans for the development and training of staff, that these trainings are carried out spontaneously.
"When the opportunity arises, mostly through projects implemented by line ministries, local self-government units or mostly non-governmental organizations," the analysis reads.
Either there are none, or the guards and security guards do not have proper support
The analysis also showed that the majority of managers do not have a formed protection service. The reason for this, it was revealed through the questionnaire, is that there is a lack of funds for its formation or there is not enough money for the required number of security guards and the necessary and adequate equipment.
An additional problem is that there is no defined plan and curriculum for staff training. For this reason, uniform mandatory training is recommended, so the authors of the analysis recommend that a unique curriculum be developed at the level of the whole of Montenegro, and that the program be implemented by a licensed institution or organization.
"In this way, adequate knowledge would be provided, and therefore the action of security guards in the field", they add.
In support of the necessary and uniform education, they state that because the security guards and guards do not have enough knowledge about the values of biodiversity or do not know the regulations well, it makes it difficult to initiate court actions.
"Their applications lack legally acceptable information, so the prosecutors reject them; due to the lack of capacity of the inspection service, which is not able to come to the scene within the prescribed period of two hours, the detained persons will be released without consequences for the criminal offense/misdemeanor", they state in the analysis.
Management without clear boundaries
As a problem in management, the authors state that the competence of managers and individual institutions is not adequately defined, and that this especially applies to the Forestry Administration:
"Because the manager does not have the authority to manage all natural resources on the territory of the protected area (except in the case of national parks), which leads to the fact that the manager of the protected area does not have information about the measures and activities undertaken in relation to the forest in his territory".
They also add that there is insufficient communication with the relevant institutions, that there is a lack of coordination in the implementation of activities, that the local community is not sufficiently informed about protected areas, and that there are often no mechanisms for cooperation with the local community.
In some cases, as they add, the boundaries of protected areas are not precise enough, they also registered a mismatch of spatial plans, sectoral policies, strategies, plans and programs.
"Especially those related to natural resources with management acts and documents and/or the need to protect the value of protected areas, (eg, forestry, hunting)," the document says.
Marojević Galić says that in a situation where protected areas and their resources are increasingly affected by unsustainable and illegal practices such as poaching, illegal logging, fishing, sand and gravel exploitation, illegal construction, "existing management resources, whether human, technical or financially, they are insufficient to adequately respond to existing threats and pressures".
"The law enforcement system in the field of nature protection proved to be particularly problematic, which is inefficient and unsustainable, and the weight and responsibility has been transferred to the protection services in the parks, while the reactions of the judiciary and the prosecution are inadequate and insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically work on improving the chain of law enforcement in nature protection and strengthening support for the work and functioning of managers of protected areas. As a priority, along with the improvement of legal solutions, the establishment and improvement of coordination and cooperation of all subjects in the system of protection and law enforcement in protected areas is set in order to adequately respond to increasing pressures," she said.
Due to poor communication, citizens are sometimes against protection
Protected areas are very complex systems and "living laboratories" with numerous segments and functions, from preservation and protection of natural and cultural heritage, through education and management of visitors to development and cooperation with the local community, says Marojević Galić.
And, he adds, that cooperation and communication at all levels is key and imperative for protected areas.
"Especially in the case of nature parks, which do not have great powers like, say, national parks, and on whose territory the responsibilities of several different institutions overlap. However, cooperation and communication is often a segment that is missing or not given enough attention. This is especially pronounced in relation to local communities and users of those areas. Practice has shown that there was a lack of adequate communication and cooperation in the processes of declaration and subsequent management of protected areas," she said.
As she added, the consequence is that local communities are not informed about activities that can be carried out in protected areas.
"And because of concern for existence or property, they often become opponents of protection processes, which proved to be the case with Ćehotin and Mrtvica, for which the declaration process is underway. "The situation is similar with the 'Rijeka Zeta' Nature Park, where, four years after its declaration, there is dissatisfaction with this protected area as a result of the lack of timely and adequate consultation and involvement of the local community in the declaration process," she said.
Organize canyoning, bring mobile signal everywhere
The authors of the analysis pointed out two specific problems - one is that part of the "Piva" Nature Park is not covered by the signal of mobile operators, which makes it difficult to communicate with the supervisors who visit the area.
"It is also difficult to charge for services due to the impossibility of issuing fiscal invoices, especially in the area of Trnovački jezera, one of the most visited locations in the Park. "There is a similar problem in the Komovi Nature Park on the territory of the capital," the analysis reads.
When it comes to the Nevidio canyon, they add, it is necessary to legally regulate canyoning.
Protected areas are often expected to be self-sustaining and to generate revenue through entrance fees or other services, so often all park capacities are put at the service of tourism, while the nature protection function, for which they were established, is neglected.
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