The combination of new technologies, cross-sectoral cooperation and strengthening knowledge contributes to more sustainable and resilient management of Montenegrin protected areas, said the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, Damjan Ćulafić.
The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development (MERS) organized a meeting of the Coordination Body for Improving the Management of Protected Areas of Montenegro, on the occasion of Earth Day.
Ćulafić emphasized that this meeting carries special weight, as it provides an opportunity to openly discuss protected areas, a topic that is important for the preservation of natural diversity and for the well-being of all who live with and from nature.
As announced by MERS, he recalled that this government department, through the GEF 7 project, established an important platform last year - a space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, for mutual support and coordinated action in the field of nature protection.
According to Ćulafić, within the framework of the GEF 7 project, they are continuing to strengthen capacities, which began with improving the process of developing studies, i.e. revising protection studies and improving the process of developing management plans and annual programs.
He pointed out that parallel work is underway to strengthen cooperation through the reactivation of the Coordination Body for the UNESCO MAB Program for the Tara River Basin.
Ćulafić also emphasized that the project also provided concrete technical support.
"From the introduction of a digital tree marking system (20 thousand tags) in the Prokletije National Park (NP), to the provision of pheromone traps in the fight against bark beetles in the Prokletije and Durmitor NPs, to equipment for rangers that is currently under development," said Ćulafić.
As he stated, two monitoring drones have also been purchased for the needs of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, which will be available to the Komovi and Orjen national and nature parks through the mechanism of the Memorandum of Cooperation, with accompanying training for their use, which is ongoing.
Such an approach, as Ćulafić said, is a combination of new technologies, cross-sectoral cooperation and strengthening of knowledge and contributes to more sustainable and resilient management of protected areas.
Ćulafić stated that this sends an important message that the Coordination Body is not just a temporary project activity.
"It should be a sustainable mechanism that is available to you, the managers, a place where your voice is heard, and your inputs are respected and influence joint decision-making," said Ćulafić.
He said that starting next year, he will have significantly more funds available.
MERS State Secretary Zoran Dabetić emphasized that the GEF 7 project has an ambitious but clear goal - strengthening the biodiversity protection system in important biodiversity hotspots in Montenegro, both within and outside formally protected areas.
"Through the first component of the project, we are focused on increasing the capacity of protected areas to more effectively deal with threats to globally significant biodiversity," said Dabetić.
According to him, work outside protected areas is equally important, through the identification and integration of priority areas into planning documentation and defining mechanisms for protecting key biodiversity hotspots.
"The Ministry will continue to support the work of the Coordination Body and is open to all proposals for better cooperation, whether it is the formation of a Viber community, mailing list or other mechanisms that can improve communication and operational efficiency," said Dabetić.
GEF 7 Project Manager Marija Tripunović and Chief Technical Specialist on the project Marija Vugdelić presented information on implemented activities that contribute to improving the capacities of protected area managers.
The statement states that the Head of the Directorate for Protected Areas at MERS, Arina Maraš, spoke about the Action Plan for Meeting the Final Benchmarks Regarding Protected Area Managers, and Borko Vulikić from UNDP about the GEF 8 project that begins next year.
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