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CAMPAIGN "GREEN IS IN"
“The mankind finds itself at the crucial point of its history. We are witnessing inequality among nations, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease and depletions to ecosystems on which our future depends.” I A great part of Montenegro 's landscape has suffered the invasions of industrialization (Pljevlja, Nikšić, Podgorica…) and excessive urbanization (coastal area), which in a large number of cases led to loosing the authentic natural inheritance. In the healthy core areas where the situation is not yet hopeless (Durmitor mountain, Tara River canyon, Bjelasica mountain, Prokletije mountains), where Durmitor, Biogradska gora and Skadarsko Jezero national parks are situated, the environment is constantly threatened by excessive logging, uncontrolled construction of resort homes, pressure on limited freshwater resources, increase in residual waters and pollutants… The natural heritage of space and landscape are largely disturbed by uncontrolled construction and urban planning that is not satisfying the legal requirements of environmental conservation. Illegal spreading of entire settlements that are neglecting the local architectural values, uniform and stereotypical buildings and aggressive transport and touristic infrastructure are devastating the last preserved oases. Some irresponsible individuals think that nature is nothing but a race track for their jeeps. Activities that are carried out in protected areas regardless of their legal status, as well as uncontrolled construction are urgent problems of space planning in Montenegro . The space plans that are presently in force have many omissions that provide a ground for obtaining necessary permits for illegal construction possible. These plans are also designating unreasonably huge territories for apartment building and industrial activities, which leads to irrational territory use, increase in communal costs and dispersion of construction area. This is the reason why some developing construction areas are left unfinished for decades, like the so-called Industrial Zone in Žabljak. In order to neutralize the far-reaching consequences of uncontrolled industrial development, EU directives require that a minimal 10% of a country's territory should be designated to protected areas. Montenegro should go far beyond that percentage, being the country whose perspectives and competitiveness in the EU can only be based on its unique natural heritage. Our role model should be Slovenia , where 35% of territory is under state protection. In Montenegro , that has proclaimed itself as the world's first Environmentally Conscious State, only 8% of the state territory belongs to protected areas. “By maintaining the interests of nature conservation and uniting them to interests of development, we could provide for the basic necessities of mankind, elevate the standard of all humans and accomplish a greater protection of the ecosystems, and also gaining better incomes and thus ensuring our future” (Preamble of Agenda 21). Being the first Environmentally Conscious State, it is our duty to completely dedicate ourselves to sustainable development as the only possible strategy. It is our interest to use positive experiences of countries that have accepted these principles long ago. Besides public awareness, existence of preserved authentic natural heritage has equal importance for nature conservation. Such primeval territories are very scarce in the industrialized countries of Western Europe and present Montenegro 's greatest advantage. On the other hand, Montenegro has an outdated heavy industry which can give no long-term results except in devastating the nature, and which presents a constant threat to the vision of sustainable development in Montenegro . This country's opportunity is in protecting its large territories of still barely touched nature. This would preserve them for future generations and lead to their rational evaluation through organic agriculture, health tourism and scientific tourism, which can make up an offer to the highest paying tourists. We mustn't forget Montenegro 's considerable tradition in nature conservation which is in some of its brightest moments (Proclamation of Environmentally Conscious State, Declaration on Conservation of Tara River) comparable to the level of nature conservation in most highly developed countries. It is doubtless that the global necessity for conserving Nature's most presentable resources is growing, and so is the environmental consciousness of mankind. What's even more important, these tendencies can be recognized in the long-term interests of sustainable development. II During its study of influence of logging on insect fauna in some parts of Durmitor National Park , the expert council of Most reached the following conclusions: - Depending on the type of logging, insect fauna suffers a different percentage of losses: 5-15% species (logging that reduces forest density, leaving most of the trees intact), 60% species (cutting down smaller plots inside large forest territories), 80% species (real forestry exploitation and clear cutting). - Even the most moderate types of logging can cause enormous damage and accelerated deterioration of forest by causing alterations in forest microclimate and ecological factors. - In the cases when exploited forests are being regenerated, existing changes in its fauna can cause long-term deterioration, whereas return to original state is practically impossible. - Areas of special importance have been discovered, like Komarnica River Canyon , which is a habitat of a large number of important species and a migration corridor for Mediterranean and Sub Mediterranean species. Such territories should be placed under permanent protection and complete ban on logging. These investigations present a lonely example of a detailed scientific survey of man's impact on protected national park areas, and they should present only a part of a complex multidisciplinary research of condition of wildlife in national parks of Montenegro . Such research should be carried out as soon as possible in order to serve as a framework for setting the restrictions on developmental activities within national park borders, so these territories could live up to their principal purpose, which is conservation of national and international natural heritage. This is a quotation from the final draft of the National Strategy of Sustainable Development of Montenegro which will be accepted by the end of this year: “ Forest ecosystems are under multiple pressures that threaten to become strategies of unsustainable use, such as uncontrolled and unplanned activities and excessive exploitation. The forests lack an integral management with regarding hunting, fishing and tourism; the forestry equipment is out of date and inadequate for work conditions and requirements, while most of the works are carried out by people who lack necessary professional qualifications. This problem has become even more pressing by swinging the logging system from state management to concessions system. There is also the topic is inadequate forest treatment. Fast growing, high quality tree species are not being used for reviving the forests, protected areas are not properly treated, and there is not even an adequate system of fire defense. The lack of an inventory of forests is yet another problem; also lacking is a forest health monitoring system. Switching management practices of forests and forest grounds from present to sustainable is a way of resolving the problems and overcoming the challenges. It is also necessary to improve the regulations, planning systems, management tools, monitoring and control systems, as well as to promote the multifunctional use of forests and introduce a fair sharing of profits”. As Ministry of Economy declares that “Industrialization is not in the past”, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry sells the sawmill in Pljevlja and gives the private entrepreneur “Vektra” from Pljevlja concessions over large forest territories, claiming this to be a greatly successful strategy. In the following days, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says that “ Montenegro will form a state team which will permanently be directing activities to stop illegal deeds in forestry”. This is the best proof of a chaotic condition, illegal and inadequate use of forest resources and historical incompatibility. Local workers employed in this industry are very badly paid and force to sell their lands and their forests. The picture becomes more and more similar to that of a colonial society where medical care and education is available only to those who can afford them. The only profit is gained by a small number of individuals who are infiltrated in the rigid administrative system that is constantly gaining power and that has no interest in stopping the unsustainable practices. National parks are centralized. What they get from the National Parks headquarters in Podgorica instead of help are orders to cut down the forests they are supposed to protect and to send the gained income to the headquarters. This is almost a copycat version of state administration which not even more developed countries could support. The forest industry enterprises are hopelessly outdated kolkhozes that exploit huge quantities of wood. As a rule, they have a heavy surplus of administration employees and they usually rejoice when they cut down more trees than anticipated by the yearly work plan. In their billboard marketing campaign across Montenegro they use the slogan “Forests are the Power of the North”, although they are doing their best to diminish this power, and have long since brought it to a critical condition. III Some of the urgent problems and threats to nature and sustainable development are selling the land to foreigners, excessive tourist capacities, endangering the integral areas of UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage (Kotor and Durmitor), and reluctance of responsible institutions to carry out the adopted laws on Estimation of Influence until 2008. Generally, the process of privatization is carried out regardless of the interests of the work force and the nature, and it is always at their costs that the interests of purchasers are satisfied. The money from privatizations that have been carried out sectors is not directed to the ECO Fund, and this makes environmentally and economically unstable situation of Montenegro more complicated (for instance, the Eco Fund in Slovenia gains 8% from each accomplished of privatization; these funds are used to solve environmental problems, appropriate investments and support of ‘green jobs'). In districts where such “developmental policy'' is being carried out, local administration is burdened by too many employees and a lack in qualified staff, it becomes “developmentally insane”, villages and small towns are deserted, and the people consider living in the capital as their only way out. Instead of providing a sustainable background for urban settlements and becoming an integral part of national parks as an outstanding landscape and tourist attraction, the villages are now exposed to complete devastation on the edges of the settlements and from the part of forest managements that are abusing their monopolies. These processes jeopardize the very survival of rural areas, which should urgently be included in national park territories. Being the main executive body, the state adopts development strategies, but it keeps refusing to stop existing trends by focusing on agro tourism and organic agriculture; it refuses to combat the long lasting problem of illegal construction that seriously endangers the future of national parks and tourist centres (Žabljak, Budva, Ulcinj, Kotor...) Knowing that many problems and solutions that are mentioned in Agenda 21 concern the local level, participation of local communities is of crucial importance for fulfillment of the goals of Agenda 21 (quoting): “The local communities are the ones to be managing economic, social and environmental and supervising construction and urbanization plans; the ones who decide on local policy of environmental protection and other important regulations, and the ones to be participating in the implementation of national and regional policy of environmental protection. As the local communities are the political and management level which is closest to the citizens, they have to be the main factor in the process of informing and mobilization of citizens on their path of sustainable development.'' According to UNESCO's expert mission report from 2005, “The mission has observed that management bodies have no power to stop negative trends which are connected to construction (urban expansion) in Durmitor National Park and its transit zones. It is obvious that the laws are not being carried out. Further expansion of ski paths should not be permitted. Exclusion of the urban area of Ž abljak from the National park's central zone has to be compensated by expanding the confines of National Park in the accordance with the proposition given in the Plan for Specific Purposes from 1997.” In the further developmental plans for Durmitor National Park it would be recommendable to consider expansion of the Park's area to Tmora, Komarnica and Piva and connection with Sutjeska National Park as a part of regional cooperation. In the future, management policy of protected areas should include plans of placing Biogradska Gora National Park under UNESCO protection is, proclaiming the territory of Prokletije as a national park, as well as many other obligations which are awaiting us and which are confirmed by experts and authorities. IV Commitments “If our world should follow the path of sustainable development, that concerns all the people of the world and their lifestyles. In order to participate in these processes of searching – for this is what sustainable development actually means – it is necessary that every one of us should develop a high degree of self-consciousness, social and political competences and readiness, as well as capability to act outside their main fields of activity.'' The activities of this campaign are not aimed against anybody. We have initialized the campaign because of a huge number of unsolved problems which could endanger the quality of life of both people and the nature. It is necessary to urgently stop all the negative activities (excessive logging, illegal construction, emigration), to recompensate and expand ‘protected zones', to unite the protected regions of Durmitor, Tara and Bjelasica with Prokletije; to make sustainable tourism and strengthening villages through organic agriculture the basis of economic progress, to include the local communities in the functioning of national parks in order to create a natural and sustainable Green Belt of Montenegro. Postponing the solution of negative trends or tolerating the existing problems would represent a threat which would have enormous consequences on the further progress of Montenegro . This would be a hopeless and irreversible process which would completely destroy Montenegro 's natural heritage, which is the country's greatest advantage. All of us should take the responsibility to start fulfilling the objectives that we have set and to fit them into international plans for our country (Dinaric Arc Initiative, expansion of areas under UNESCO protection.) Goals : - Explaining the importance of described problems to the societyfamiliarize citizens with the seriousness of above –mentioned problems; - Providing active participation of citizens and media in the fight for defined goals; - to instigate the responsible institutions to finally start accomplishing their tasks and duties and to carry out long-lasting measures of environmental protection - bringing forest exploitation and illegal construction to an urgent halt in the areas where we have pointed out the described negative trends; - to determine the most endangered zones of special importance for touristic and scientific evaluation (villages and border areas of national parks) by the middle of 2007 and to start implementing plans for their restoration; - to organize urgent research of human influence in protected areas, to specify the measures necessary for neutralizing the existing damage and to define restrictions for development those areas; - to demand fulfillment of main directives of Aarchus Convention, as well as of the Law On Free Access to Information of Montenegro, so the public, individuals and NGOs could be guaranteed access to environmentally important information; - Creating an Eco Fund to which 10% from every privatization in Montenegro should be contributed for the purposes of financing the sustainable development programs and solving of environmental problems - Being an Environmentally Conscious State, Montenegro should protect 35% rather than 10% of its territory; - O čekujemo od Vlade Republike Crne Gore da donese posebna akta o zaštiti prirodnih dobara od izuzetnog značaja, o zaštiti predjela izuzetnih odlika radi očuvanja ljepote pejsaža visoravni, raznovrsnog biljnog i životinjskog svijeta, radi očuvanja čistoće i kvaliteta voda, vazduha i zemljišta te da se obezbijede uslovi za plansko uređenje i održivo korišćenje zaštićenih područja za potrebe turizma, rekreacije i nauke. - We expecting that the Government of Montenegro will adopt special acts on the protection of important natural resources, on protection of areas of exceptional beauty in order to preserve the beauty of the landscape, biodiversity and quality of air, water, and soil. This should provide conditions of planned organization and sustainable use of protected areas for tourism, recreation and scientific research. Fulfillment of these goals will not only reflect the responsibility of state authorities, but also of each individual, and it is basing on this that we will be judged by the generations to come. We mustn't permit the destruction and inadequate use of areas attractive for tourism and scientific research to threaten our decision to be an ecotouristic destination and alter our course towards sustainable development. We cannot afford to carry on with the present practices, because ten years from now all the attractive areas of our country might be devastated. Of all the territory of Montenegro , 726,670 ha or 52% are covered by forests, and only 8% of the territory is under protection. These are mostly zones which are not accessible for any kind of exploitation. By no means should such situation be tolerated! We are expecting the greatest possible unanimity and wide support from the part of citizens, state institutions and NGOs! We believe that everybody has enough conscience and awareness to recognize that these problems have to be solved. The Nature has no voice and it cannot speak for itself. We have a voice that must be heard! For all the reasons mentioned above I am signing to support this campaign and its goals.
GREEN IS IN !
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