After the Đalovića Gorge protected area, the preparation of a study for the upper course of the Ćehotina River, from its source to the municipality of Pljevlja, is in the final phase, and there is also a need for concrete protection of the Novakovića Cave, which is on paper protected as a natural monument.
This was stated by a famous speleologist in an interview with "Vijesti". Željko Madžgalj, who was recently elected as the acting director of the newly established Agency for Natural Resources Management of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje.
The agency, which will be responsible for managing all protected areas in the municipality, including the Đalovića Gorge, was established in Bijelo Polje at the end of last year.
The decision to establish it was adopted at a recent session of the local parliament, after the Municipality had previously officially protected the Đalovića Gorge, which is one of the most valuable areas of Montenegro and has been declared a natural monument, thanks to intensive cooperation with the NGO Eko-tim and the global nature conservation organization The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
Madžgalj recalled that, at the initiative of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, the Environmental Protection Agency conducted a Review Study for the protected natural resource of Đalovića Gorge, and that based on that study, the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, at its session at the beginning of last year, made a decision to declare it a natural monument.
This decision also provided for the establishment of the Agency for Natural Resources Management of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, and the Municipal Assembly adopted the decision to establish the Agency.

"Until now, these areas have been protected only on paper, and the establishment of the Agency provides an opportunity to continuously protect nature in protected areas in an institutional and legal manner," said Madžgalj.
When the Đalovići Gorge was declared a natural monument in 1968, Madžgalj recalled, the area of that protected area was significantly larger and extended not only in Montenegro and the municipality of Bijelo Polje, but also in Serbia and the municipality of Sjenica.
"With the revision of the study, the protected area has been reduced and is located in the municipality of Bijelo Polje, the area of the protected area is about 350 hectares, and the length of the protected area border is about 12,5 kilometers. The protected area is divided into two regions. The course of the Bistrica River itself with river terraces from the first permanent source of the Glava Bistrica River to the exit from the gorge is under a strict level II protection regime, and the southern and northern sides of the gorge to the top parts of the Koritska plateau and the Sušac plateau are under a level III protection regime," explained Madžgalj.
At this moment, the Đalovića Gorge is the only declared protected area in the Bijelo Polje municipality, however, the preparation of a study for the upper course of the Ćehotina River is in the final phase, and since part of the Ćehotina River area, from its source to the border with the municipality of Pljevlja, is located in the Bijelo Polje municipality, a protection study has been conducted for that area as well, so that the conditions have been created for the Bijelo Polje Municipal Council to declare that area a protected natural resource as well.
"In addition, Novakovića Cave is protected on paper as a natural monument, so there is a need and legal obligation to conduct a protection study for that site, probably with the wider area of the source and canyon of the Vranštica River. Bijelo Polje has other natural areas of exceptional natural value that should be covered by some degree of protection in the future, such as the Lještanica spring with the Skakala waterfall or the Suvovara valley from Bardovo do on Bjelasica to the Bjelasica Bistrica spring in Majstorovina," Madžgalj reveals to "Vijesti".

The Agency's goals, as he pointed out, are diverse and stem from legal norms related to environmental protection, and the most important goal and focus of the Agency's work is, above all, protection, which is the most important segment of the Agency's future plans and work.
"This implies active protection and controlled use of natural resources, as well as preventing harmful activities that can endanger significant biodiversity features in the protected area, and the challenges are numerous: forest fires, illegal logging, uncontrolled hunting and fishing, illegal landfills and waste disposal, pollution of watercourses, excessive and uncontrolled harvesting of forest fruits, illegal construction, etc.," said Madžgalj.
In addition to these challenges, another important segment of the Agency's work is the development and promotion of eco-tourism in protected areas in a sustainable and responsible manner, and this type of tourism has the highest growth in demand in the world, which is an opportunity that has not been exploited.
"The third segment is cooperation with the local population that gravitates towards the protected area, and this cooperation is necessary and can be fruitful and beneficial for everyone. There is also cooperation with non-governmental organizations whose goals are environmental protection, mountaineering societies, sports associations, local tourist organizations, and tourist agencies," he said, adding that the Agency will also have an educational and environmental goal to promote the importance and need for environmental preservation, especially in protected areas.
As the Agency is in its infancy, said Madžgalj, a demanding period of drafting and adopting the Statute follows, adopting various regulations, annual and five-year work and development plans, and training security guards.
Regarding the Agency's financing, Madžalj explains that for the first year of its existence, part of the funds were allocated by the global environmental organization The Nature Conservancy in cooperation with the Eco Team from Podgorica, and that part of the funds will be allocated by the municipality in the budget plan.
Bonus video:
