The first mammal returned to its habitat, a new species discovered for the territory of Montenegro, new nesting sites for birds, an increase in the population of chamois, are just some of the results of the work of the Service for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage and the sustainable development of the National Parks of Montenegro.
During 2023, the biologists of this company monitored the state of ecosystems, habitats and species, and based on findings and reports from the field, proposed and implemented measures for their protection, improvement and sustainable use, reports CG News.
"Our focus is the implementation of planning and program activities, which are based on research, monitoring, protection and improvement of ecosystems and species. Since 2021, we have been monitoring diurnal butterflies as organisms that are sensitive to climate change. Since this year, we have also been monitoring important and protected species of amphibians and reptiles. When we talk about monitoring fish species - we provide measures and recommendations that are essential for sustainable fishing, while at the same time we monitor important bird species and their populations. The condition of forest ecosystems is also regularly monitored in order to protect them from fires and overpopulation of insects," explained the head of the Department for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development at JPNPCG Hajdana Ilić Božović.
For the first time in Montenegro, a mammal was returned to its natural habitat in the NP Skadarsko jezero, while in the previous period a new species of mammal unknown for the territory of Montenegro was found - the colorful ferret in the NP Prokletije.
"Returning the otter to its natural habitat, after it was found injured and treated for a month, is the main conservation measure that we managed to implement in Skadar Lake NP. We are especially proud that the citizens of Montenegro were interested in this case, they asked and were interested every day in the state of the animal, which is also an indicator that points to a change in the awareness of citizens when it comes to the preservation of nature and protected species", said the expert associate. for the protection of mammal fauna Belma Šestović.
With each field trip, new localities suitable for bat research are discovered, thus expanding the list of species that are present in national parks.
"We are talking about rich localities where there are colonies numbering from several hundred to several thousand individuals. Our house in Biogradska gora National Park is known for being the largest maternity colony of the Little Horseshoe in Montenegro and the region, and this colony is potentially the largest in Europe. "The preparation of the plan for the adaptation of this house is underway in order to adapt it to human activities, while one part will be specially designed for blind mice", added Šestović.
She pointed out that one third of the chamois population lives in Durmitor National Park, and that this population has increased thanks to conservation measures and increased physical control by the Protection Service. "The chamois is a species that needs peace in its habitat, and in this respect it is one of the indicators that show pressure on the habitat, especially in situations of illegal activities or poaching. Already next year, through the planned project, we will use photo traps in combination with artificial intelligence in order to estimate the population density of certain species. Here, first of all, we want to determine the density of the deer population and monitor their condition, because it is a species that was introduced to Biogradska gora National Park in the XNUMXs," she added.
A large number of activities were also carried out on the protection of flora and vegetation, and special emphasis was placed on the inventory of vascular flora in all five parks, monitoring of rare and endemic species and their inhabitants.
"By monitoring certain species, it was determined that their habitats are threatened and that this affects their abundance. This year we also focused on invasive species and their impact on indigenous plant species. Through the project and in cooperation with the NGO sector, from next year, acacia will be mapped, but concrete proposals and measures for its removal will also be given," said the expert associate for the protection of flora and vegetation. Ivana Džaković.
In the parks, special attention will be paid to potential Natura 2000 habitats. Also, education is planned in NP Durmitor when it comes to harvesting medicinal plants, especially junipers and blueberries, in order to reduce the number of those who unconscionably and in violation of the rules collect plants from nature. In NP Prokletije and NP Biogradska gora, mapping was carried out and it was determined that some habitats are under pressure, which indicates that in the future we must work on their conservation.
Montenegro is a bird's paradise and 360 species of birds live on the territory of our country, which is as much as 65 percent of the total number of birds that inhabit the territory of Europe. Monitoring of birds of prey is an excellent indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and these studies are carried out in Prokletije and Lovcen. In Durmitor National Park, monitoring of seven species of birds listed in Annex 1 of the European Bird Directive is carried out, namely the deaf grouse, stone partridge, three-toed woodpecker, mountain woodpecker, pygmy owl, Ural owl and night owl.
"Also, this year, during the winter bird count, it was determined that 56 birds spent the winter on the territory of Lake Skadar. A very important activity is pelican monitoring, which is carried out throughout the year. We can boast that we had a lot of success this year, although at the very beginning we did not have much hope due to the disturbance of the colony due to illegal activities. Nevertheless, this colony found a new place for nesting, where during monitoring we counted about 140 adults and 38 young individuals. On this occasion, a DNA sample was taken from the youngest pelican and sent to Greece for analysis," explained the expert associate for ornithofauna. Ana Uskokovic.
The Public Company for National Parks of Montenegro invests great efforts in forming clusters and cooperating with the local population in order to be included in the process of managing protected areas and joint activities aimed at preserving our territories. That is why during this year a database was formed on the local population that operates or does business in the area of national parks, and the first meetings aimed at better management and more effective protection have already been held.
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