The Government and the Municipality of Ulcinj are negotiating the establishment of a management structure at the "Bajo Sekulić" Saltworks, but currently there are different views on possible management models.
The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, told "Vijesti" that he hopes to solve this problem soon, as his intention is to form a new company by the end of the year.
After the adoption of the decision at the session of the local parliament on June 24, 2019, Ulcinjska Solana was declared a protected area - Nature Park.
The Center for Bird Research and Observation (CZIP) warned "Vijesti" that the fact that a management structure has not been established five years after the declaration of the salt pan as a Nature Park is worrying. They said that it is the first necessary step towards a timely response to the increasingly prominent problems and challenges in that area.
Through the planned panel discussion, we expect to finally hear from the decision makers information about when and how a new company will be established that will manage the Ulcinjska Solana Nature Park. In addition, the second part of the conference will be dedicated to the discussion and encouragement of the development of business ideas that can facilitate the management of the protected area, and at the same time contribute to the local community, CZIP announces.
For several years now, the municipality has been delaying the adoption of the decision on the establishment of the company "Ulcinjska Solana" Nature Park, in which it would be a co-owner with the Government. The Government's consent is required for establishing a company.
As early as 2021, the Municipality planned to take over the management of Salt Lake from JP "National Parks of Montenegro" (NPCG), but gave up because at that time it did not create the legal prerequisites to enter into that business.
The oldest company in Ulcinj, in accordance with the decision of the Government, has been managed by NPCG since August 2015, with the aim of protecting biodiversity.
Prioritized
The Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, Damjan Ćulafić, during his working visit to Ulcinj on August 23, after visiting Solana, said that the issue of solving the problem of forming an adequate management structure for that protected area in the coming period will be a priority of the Ministry's activities .
And the President of the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly (SO) Ivana Popović stated that the SO will actively work and provide support for the establishment of a company that will manage the "Bajo Sekulić" Saltworks as soon as possible, in order to start the redevelopment of that company from a standstill.
The CZIP reminds that they are participating in the development of the Management Plan for the Ulcinjska Solana Nature Park together with other members of the working group, which should be implemented by the management structure.
"The working group was formed by the Ministry of Ecology and its members are representatives of the municipality of Ulcinj, NPCG, the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the NGO MSJA and CZIP. During this year, with the help of experts within the 'Nature returns' project, we jointly worked on the creation of this document, which will be finalized by the end of 2024. In this sense, it is particularly problematic that even after 5 years from the declaration of the Nature Park, the management structure that is promised year after year, and which should implement the prepared plan, has not been established", said the CZIP.
They add that this problem will be the focus of the 26th International Conference for the Protection of the Ulcinj Salt Mine, which CZIP is organizing on November XNUMX in Podgorica.
"Through the planned panel discussion, we expect to finally hear from the decision-makers information about when and how a new company will be established that will manage the Ulcinjska Solana Nature Park. Additionally, the second part of the conference will be dedicated to the discussion and encouragement of the development of business ideas that can facilitate the management of the protected area, and at the same time contribute to the local community", announced the CZIP.
The company is also necessary because of the works on the embankment
According to the CZIP, the establishment of the company is also necessary for the start of works on the restoration of the embankment in order to establish a favorable hydrological regime with regular monitoring of poaching and prevention of disturbance of birds.
"In order to do any of that, the first step is to establish a management structure," CZIP claims.
They remind that last year 6,6 km of embankment was repaired, but that is not enough for the complete recovery of the hydrological regime.
"Progress is evident when it comes to water management at the Saltworks, which is confirmed by comparative satellite images, which show that a significantly larger area of the saltworks is under water. The final goal is to make it possible to control the water on the entire surface of the Solana, and this will only happen when all the embankments are repaired", CZIP stated in response to the question about the current situation in the Solana.
As they say, apart from the collapsed embankments, a serious problem at Solana is the overgrowth of vegetation.
"Namely, since the sea water did not reach a certain part of the salt pan in the past years, it became overgrown with vegetation, which is not a favorable change for the ecosystem. Big changes in habitat types are best shown by birds that have adapted their behavior to the new situation. For example, crystallization pools were once ideal habitat for the night race. By tracking the individual we marked with a satellite transmitter, we can see that it uses only a small part of the former habitat, and that the removal of vegetation and restoration of nature is necessary. The emergence of invasive species that spread through the Ulcinj Salt Lake is of particular concern," the NGO warns.
Excavator still out of work
The CZIP reminds that they carry out regular bird monitoring activities on Solana.
"Every month, our ornithologists collect valuable data about the birds of this area, which later dictate activities aimed at improving the ecological conditions in this area. In addition to monitoring birds on migration and nesting birds, we have also been implementing bird ringing for two years, as a third form of monitoring. Bird ringing is a scientific method that involves catching birds in specialized nets and then taking data on the species, age, sex of the individual, wing length, weight and condition of the bird. These are valuable data that indicate the state of the ecosystem, the habitats they use, the availability of food...", said CZIP.
In this NGO, they pointed out that the CZIP published monitoring protocols for 12 different taxa this year.
"The researches included the following biodiversity groups from the area of the salt pan: amphibians, reptiles, benthic organisms, mosses, macroscopic algae, invertebrates, fish, small and large mammals, bats, birds, as well as vegetation with a focus on invasive plant species. All the collected data once again confirm the richness of the biodiversity of the salt pan, but also the importance of its preservation through continuous monitoring, and the urgent formation of a management body that would carry out these activities. In addition, systematic, reliable monitoring of all biodiversity groups in accordance with developed monitoring protocols most effectively assesses the condition and draws conclusions about how species and ecosystems change over time and space, either naturally or under the influence of human activities," the Center claims.
They state that the Đerana pumping station, which has the function of pumping seawater into the area of the salt pan, was serviced this year, but they also point out the fact that it is not in good condition and that it needs to be renovated as soon as possible.
"Last year, electrical installations were replaced and this activity was jointly financed by NPCG, the Ministry of Ecology and CZIP. The facility in which the pump is located is in extremely bad condition and it is necessary to realize the adaptation as soon as possible, and the Ministry of Ecology is working on finding a solution to this problem. "Pump station 16, which pumps water from saline pools, functions and has a particularly important role in the autumn-winter period, when its operation regulates the water level that rises due to precipitation", they state in the CZIP.
The state is the owner of the land from July 2022.
They also remind that this NGO donated an excavator to the Ulcinjska Saltworks Nature Park last year, which will be available for future embankment restoration projects and their regular maintenance.
"As the management structure was not established this year, nor were funds provided by the state to continue the work on the rehabilitation of the embankment, the excavator was out of work. We hope that this will not be the case next year", CZIP emphasizes.
Solana's bankruptcy was introduced in the first half of 2005, and the failed five-year reorganization plan lasted from the beginning of 2006. Since the reorganization plan failed, the company from Ulcinj has been bankrupt since 2011.
The process of privatization of the "Bajo Sekulić" Saltworks began in 2001, at the beginning of mass voucher privatization.
The Administration for Cadastre and State Property, based on the opinion of the Privatization Council, issued a decision on December 17, 2021, allowing the Ulcinj Solana to be registered as state property and that the Government is the sole holder of the right of disposal. The state, as the owner of the Solana land, was officially registered in the cadastral books at the beginning of July 2022.
Representatives of the minority shareholders subsequently announced lawsuits which, according to their estimation, could cost the state more than 200 million euros. They claim that it is the property of 20 shareholders and that the state has confirmed that it issued shares without coverage.
After that, the Administrative Court accepted the lawsuit of the joint-stock company for the production of sea salt "Bajo Sekulić" Ulcinj in bankruptcy and annulled the opinion of the Government, i.e. the Council for Privatization and Capital Projects dated July 21, 7, in which the undisputed state ownership of the land was established the only Montenegrin salt pans.
The Administrative Court previously rejected the shareholder's lawsuit, considering that the opinion of the Council is not an administrative act. The Supreme Court did not think so either, so the Administrative Court issued a different verdict in the retrial.
National parks don't pay rent?
The former workers of the Saltworks appealed to the National Parks to pay rent to the receivership for the lease of the Saltworks for the period from August 1, 2023 until today.
"This is because the money that the bankruptcy administration receives on this basis, in the amount of 2.450 euros per month, is mostly paid to former workers in the name of claims, which today amount to 800.000 euros plus five years of unpaid work experience," says the request of the former workers of the salt mine.
"Vijesti" received no answers from the National Parks to the questions whether it is true that they have not been paying rent to the bankruptcy administration of the saltworks in Ulcinj since August last year, and if so, what is the reason.
"Vijesti" asked the National Parks and what activities they are currently implementing in order to protect the biodiversity of that unique area and the artificial ecosystem, what is the overall condition of the site and whether there is coordination in all of this with the relevant ministry, the Municipality of Ulcinj, with domestic and international experts, institutions and organizations dealing with the preservation of natural values.
Poachers and predators drive flamingos away
As the most important data during this year's survey of nesting sites, it stands out that 51 cups (nests) of flamingos were counted, which means that they tried to nest on the salt flats, but unfortunately they did not succeed in that intention this year either. The reasons for unsuccessful nesting are unfavorable hydrological regime and predation, CZIP points out.
They claim that the tracks of several animals that destroyed the nests, such as foxes, badgers and dogs, have been observed.
"Given that recently recorded traces of poaching in the form of hunting ammunition, it can be assumed that hunting dogs move through the salt flats, and besides being a problem in terms of poaching, they are also a threat to nesting birds. Flamingos do not nest in the region, so the success of nesting on the salt flats would mean a lot for the population in this part of the Mediterranean. This situation with the unsuccessful nesting of flamingos is an indicator that it is necessary to work on the restoration of the embankment as soon as possible in order to establish a favorable hydrological regime", CZIP assesses.
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