Non-governmental organizations "Da zavivi selo", WWF Adria and Eko-team, announced the start of the "For our Ćehotina" Initiative, which aims to protect the upper course of the Ćehotina river in accordance with the relevant national legislation. They state that the aim of the initiative is to create the starting points for the valorization of the Ćehotina River in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, "ensuring a future in which people will live in harmony with nature".
"Within the initiative "For our Ćehotina", a citizens' initiative will be launched, which will propose to the Municipality of Pljevlja to make a decision and start the procedure for the preparation of a study for the protection of the upper course of the Ćehotina river as the first step in the process of declaring a protected area. Also, the Initiative will include a campaign to raise the awareness of the inhabitants of Pljevlja about the ecological and cultural-historical values of the upper reaches of the Ćehotina, as well as its development potentials", the NGO Eko-team and WWF Adria announced.
They point out that the upper reaches of Ćehotina and Otilović Lake, for all their biodiversity and cultural-historical values as well as landscape attractiveness, age and preservation of the area, deserve and have full justification to be under a certain degree of protection. In that area, as they add, the autochthonous flora and fauna are still preserved, the area is not too burdened by urbanization and devastation of space, but in order to remain so, it must also be protected, in order to prevent potential threats in the future that could threaten value of that area.
"Problems in the upper reaches of the Ćehotina River are of a different nature and have a negative impact on the catchment area in that zone. The current negative impacts on the upper course of the Ćehotina river are the impacts of forest concessionaires, which through the exploitation of the forest lead to numerous negative impacts on the tributaries of the Ćehotina river, the influence of unsustainable agriculture in the Vruljanski and Maočki polje zones, the influence of the Vrulja settlement in terms of communal waste water and wild landfills on the banks of the Ćehotina ”, point out from the NGO "Da zavivi selo".
By protecting the upper course of the Ćehotina river, which is one of the symbols of Pljevlja, "it will put this area on the world map and make it attractive and attractive for tourists". The development of sustainable tourism in accordance with nature and its laws in the area of the upper course of the Ćehotina river, as states in the press release, it is based on the exceptional untapped potential of the area - untouched clean nature, terrain suitable for various types of winter and summer tourism, wealth of flora and fauna, natural values, valuable cultural and historical monuments and traditional way of life in the countryside and katuns.
"The national policy promotes the development of tourism activities based on nature, where biodiversity plays a significant role. Nature-oriented tourism products include bird watching, photo safaris, cycling, kayaking, sport fishing, hiking, religious tourism, cultural and historical tourism. Sustainable tourism in the upper course of the Ćehotina River can be a significant source of income for both local self-government and local communities", indicate the NGO "Da žavivi selo".
That it is necessary to protect the upper course of the Ćehotina river, they point out, is also confirmed by the fact that water from the upper course of the Ćehotina is used for water supply to the citizens of Pljevlja via the Otilovići reservoir. Also, as they add, in the area of the upper course of the Ćehotina, there is also a tourist landmark of the municipality of Pljevlja - Meanders of the Ćehotina river, which should be valorized to a greater extent but in a sustainable way. They remind that the upper course of ijehotina is a natural spawning ground for salmonid species of fish - brook trout and fingerlings. "The young salmon is a rare and protected type of salmonid fish in Europe, because it is disappearing mainly due to the construction of large dams, and in this way it is prevented from spawning, which is conditioned by migrations in the upper reaches of rivers."
Successful examples of river protection, as stated in the announcement, can be found in different countries of the world. "In Europe, countries such as Sweden and Finland adopted laws in the 1968s to protect rivers or parts of them from construction that could threaten the natural features and free flow of these rivers. In the United States, since XNUMX, The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act ensures the permanent preservation of rivers of outstanding natural, cultural and recreational value for the enjoyment of present and future generations."
Experiences from these countries, as stated, show that river protection creates new opportunities for the development of an area that does not negatively affect nature, whereby local communities and wider society inherit preserved natural values and all the potential that comes with it.
"We believe that the Municipality of Pljevlja and other relevant institutions will support the Initiative "For our Ćehotina", and that we will all work together on the national branding of Montenegro as an ecological state, i.e. overall social prosperity," the announcement concludes.
The initiative for "For our Čehotina" is supported by the organization The Nature Conservancy.
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