Instead of a unique atmosphere, visits to the Ulcinj Saltworks today mostly bring disappointment because for a long time, visitors have not seen what they come there for most - flamingos and pelicans.
This was stated by a famous Slovenian ornithologist in an interview with "Vijesti". Borut Stumberger.
He assessed that this was a negative promotion of an attractive location and that it was necessary to change the approach to the problem.
"Visits to Solana today are a problem, because if you promote it and bring a bird lover and he doesn't see anything, he's sure to be disappointed. That's negative promotion. I think that shouldn't happen anymore because such promotion will come back like a boomerang, mostly to tourism. For a long time, one of the main attractions that Ulcinj has has not been offering what it should. Tourists who come see almost nothing, because there are no birds, no pelicans and flamingos. And flamingos, as far as I could see, are the motif of a mural on a building in the city center, which suggests to even the uninitiated that Ulcinj, in addition to its natural beauty, is also a city of birds and flamingos," said Stumberger.
He claims that in May, Solana was visited almost daily by up to 50 bird lovers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Slovenia...
"And there are no water birds, especially pelicans and flamingos. The water management regime has not been regulated. I thought it was already somehow finished, but it is not, and the embankments have not been repaired either. This has been the case for three or four years and people are really disappointed," he said.
He recalled an event in early May when he was at Solana with a group of foreign tourists.
"Then about 20 students from an elementary school from Bar also came. They also wanted to see flamingos or pelicans. The children walked for several kilometers to see the birds. And when they reached the end of the road, they saw nothing. They were disappointed. But at the very end of the salt pan, in the middle of the lake, a kilometer and a half away from us, stood a flamingo. It was impossible to see it with the naked eye. The strangers gave the children binoculars to see this one of the rarest birds in Montenegro. You won't believe what happened - the children, aged 7-8, screamed with happiness when they saw the flamingo they had heard so much about and which was the motive for their visit," Stumberger said.
He has been coming to Ulcinj and the salt pans since 2003, and since then he has visited our country and the southernmost city almost 150 times.
"I first came to Ulcinj in 2003, and back then permits were still required to move in the border zone of the Bojana. At first, I traveled for the international foundation Euronatur, which dealt with nature protection along the eastern Adriatic, and the main base was Ulcinj, especially the Bojana delta, Solana and Skadar Lake. The goal was to protect nature with the help of humans, that is, visitors or tourists, and thus provide resources for the development of society. This is a very important thing. If you have a zoned site or, ideally, even a protected area, then you know where you can move or where you can build. If the zoning is implemented and regularly controlled, it is a great instrument for development that prevents conflicts in the future," he said.
He emphasized that the zoning concept, based on international nature protection standards, was proposed for Lake Skadar, the Bojana Delta, and the Saltworks.
"It is based on the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve model with a central (nature), buffer (nature and man) and transition zone (man). A great contribution to the work on the concept of development and zoning was made, it sounds a little strange, but it was the Montenegrin police who kindly provided us with access to closed areas at the beginning and in a way enabled the first cornerstone for development with nature to be laid," said Stumberger.
He recalled that he was active in Euronatura until 2013 and that he worked closely with the international group of experts, led by Dr. Martin Schneider-Jacoby.
"I have been coming to Ulcinj as a visitor since 2013. However, I have noticed that in recent years, some things in the direction of nature protection and development have not been going well or are happening too slowly. And it would be very important to take this into account, because seemingly small things in Montenegro can be the cause of great damage to the development of tourism and image," he said.
He pointed out that spatial planning is a major problem for Montenegro.
"There is construction everywhere and that is not good. Also, an unresolved problem is garbage. It is a great shame, because Montenegro is a fantastic country of great natural beauty. So people are first delighted and then shocked when they see a little better," he said.
He assessed that building the story of the Saltworks based on future millions from the EU or ministries may not be the best path for a long-term encounter between endangered birds and humans, for the development of the Saltworks and tourism in Ulcinj.
He believes that Solana needs a capable leader with a mandate and responsibility for the development of the local community and professional competencies that will save endangered birds.
"You can imagine what it would be like if the steel train track that once connected Solana with Cape Đerane were restored. And if it were to be run through the hinterland of Velika Plaza to the tourist resort on Ada. I am sure that the income would be doubled, and the construction of paths that destroy the beach and the hinterland and parking lots would be prevented. We would restore peace to the spectacular landscape along the Adriatic Sea and stop Ulcinj's famous summer traffic chaos. And finally, connect all this with the old town and the Valdanos olive grove. It would be a cultural and civilizational product without competition along the Adriatic Sea. A pure victory of nature and culture. And Ulcinj would be a city over which thousands of flamingos and pelicans would circle," said Stumberger.
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