Podgorica, (MINA) – In the past two years, significant progress has been made in Montenegro in terms of expanding and improving the system of protected areas, as well as initiating and continuing numerous protection procedures and revision of existing protected areas, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North Damjan Culafic said.

He said that it was important to discuss nature protection through concrete results.

Culafic stated that three new protected areas were declared in 2024 – Sopot and Drazin Vrt in Kotor, and last year the area of the Cehotina river in municipality of Bijelo Polje.

“At the same time, the process of protecting Mrtvica and the surrounding area is in the final phase, which means that another extremely valuable natural area will receive formal protection”, Culafic pointed out.

As he added, protection procedures have been initiated or continued at several significant locations throughout Montenegro.

According to him, special attention has been paid to the revision of existing protected areas.

“In that regard, we are continuing work on revision studies of the Piva Nature Park, national parks, as well as other protected areas”, Culafic pointed out.

He stressed that the proposal for the Natura 2000 ecological network represented one of the most important steps taken by Montenegro in the field of nature protection and European integration.

“By establishing the Natura 2000 network, protection would cover about 44 percent of the territory of Montenegro, including land and marine areas”, Culafic explained, recalling that when he took the office as minister, protected areas covered about 15 percent of the national territory.