Montenegro to Save Precious Habitat for Birds

Montenegro's government and the public enterprise National Parks on Monday took over the bankrupt private salt company in the coastal town of Ulcinj in a move to save an important habitat for about 250 bird species that live and nest in the abandoned salt plantations.

After months of pressure from the international community and environmental organizations, the National Parks and the board of trustees of the salt pans signed a one-year contract by which the state is obliged to protect the environment and its biodiversity.

Daliboorka Pejovic, of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, on Monday said the government was involved solely in order to protect the environment but did not exclude the possibility of restarting the production of salt.

"It is clear for us that sustainable saline areas cannot be based only on preservation or for eco tourism, there must be some economic activities," she said.

The salt marsh is an important birding area and a major site for nesting, wintering and roosting on the east coast of the Adriatic. It has the status of IBA (Important Bird Area).

The whole area belonged once to the state-owned salt company Bajo Sekulic, which was privatized in 2002 .

After bankruptcy in 2012, the salt pans stopped pumping out fresh water and pumping in salt water, and with it, food for the birds. That endangered the habitat of around 250 bird species, including numerous rare species such as the Dalmatian pelicans and flamingos as well as spoonbills.

The owner of the company last year announced a plan to convert 15 square kilometres of the ponds, channels and banks into a touristic development complex with hotels and golf course.

Contrary to expectations and in spite...