President of the Municipality of Ulcinj Genzi Nimanbeg He said that by adopting the Study on the revision of the border, status, category and protection regime of the protected area of the Natural Monument "Velika plaža near Ulcinj", this site will be additionally secured.
"With the adoption of a comprehensive study, which is still under public debate, Velika Plaza will be additionally protected," Nimanbegu pointed out for "Vijesti".
The draft study was prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency. The central public hearing will be held on Wednesday, in the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly (MA) hall, at 11 a.m. The public hearing on the act began on May 30 and will end on July 1, after which it should be presented to councilors.
The reasons for initiating the review procedure of the "Large Beach near Ulcinj", as stated by the Agency, are found in Article 35 of the Law on Nature Protection, which defines that "if it is determined for a protected area that is entered in the register of protected areas that there is no data on the boundaries, target habitats and species for the protected area, the administrative authority is obliged to inform the authority competent for adopting the act on proclamation of the need to initiate the review procedure for that protected area".
"In this context, the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the JP Morsko dobro about the need to initiate a review procedure for the protected object. Also, the spatial plan for the special purpose area for the maritime domain for protected areas in the maritime domain zone proposes a review of the protection status due to changes in their ecological values, but a proposal is also made to place new areas on land and in the sea under protection," the draft states.
It is noted that Velika Plaza is a 13-kilometer-long sandy beach with an area of about 600 hectares, which extends to the Bojana River, and is located east of the Port Milena channel and south of the regional road R17. Velika Plaza near Ulcinj, it is recalled, has been under nature protection since 1968 as a natural area reserve based on the decision of the Republic Institute for Nature Protection and the Decision on the proclamation of a protected nature area published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro No. 30/68, dated 28 December 12.1968.
"Six hundred hectares are under protection and refer to the area from the contact of the beach with the sea to the main road in Donji and Gornji Štoj, and to the west the protected area extends along the banks of the Bojana River. The protected area was state-owned during that period of protection. The territorially protected area belongs to the Municipality of Ulcinj, namely the Municipal Administrative Districts of Donji Štoj and Gornji Štoj," the Draft states.
It is stated that the decision of the Republic Institute for Nature Protection from 1968 prescribed a ban on undertaking any actions that may cause a change in the shape or appearance of a protected object or violate its integrity. Such a ban, the Draft recalls, was also retained by the Law on Nature Protection from 1977 and the current Law from 2016. It is also added that protected natural objects protected on the basis of the Law on Nature Protection from 1961 are also considered protected under the provisions of later laws regulating the subject area.
"Based on Article 115 of the current Law on Nature Protection, it is prescribed that protected areas, which were registered as natural landscape reserves before the entry into force of this Law, shall be registered as natural monuments. Therefore, this protected area is registered in the Central Register of Protected Areas and Areas under Preventive Protection under ordinal number 15 as a natural monument 'Velika plaža kod Ulcinj', in category III of protected areas, and based on the act of the Agency for Nature and Environmental Protection - Decision on registration (No. UPI- 101/2-01-1877/1 of 28.11.2018)," the Draft states.
It is emphasized that Velika Plaza with its hinterland represents a unique natural ecosystem in Montenegro, in which specific habitats such as sand dunes, swamps and marshes, river mouths... are recognizable.
"The sand of the Great Ulcinj Beach is very fine and extends hundreds of meters into the sea, it moves very easily under the influence of winds, so a belt of dunes has formed in the hinterland, with a width of several tens to several hundred meters. Despite the rather uncontrolled exploitation of sediment, the Great Beach in Ulcinj is relatively stable and so far there is no noticeable trend in erosion processes. The sea itself is very shallow in the coastal part, so the beach is suitable for tourism," the document states.
It is recalled that in accordance with the provisions of the Bern Convention, the natural values of the area of Velika Ulcinjska plaža with the Ulcinjska salt pan have been identified as one of a total of 32 identified Emerald areas in Montenegro.
Also, the area of Velika Ulcinjska Plaza and the island of Ada Bojana has been identified as an area important for plants (IPA - Important Plant Areas), but also for birds (IBA - Important Bird Areas).
It is emphasized that the value of biodiversity on Velika Plaza is unique and invaluable.
"The large beach has exceptional ambient and landscape values and is of great aesthetic, cultural and ecological importance and therefore deserves adequate protection. The beach is located in a zone of very high vulnerability of the area, and is surrounded on all sides by highly vulnerable, i.e., high-value areas. The ecological importance is primarily reflected in the fact that the beach is the habitat of a large number of rare species of plants, animals and fungi, as well as a point of contact with the marine ecosystem, and therefore protection is particularly important. On the other hand, the blue of the sea and fine sand with sand dunes are a significant aesthetic element of this landscape. Finally, the cultural phenomenon is significant here because the beach is part of the cultural landscape and the identity of the local population. Also, the beach is of great recreational and tourist importance."
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