Montenegro has been initially the most delayed, despite the hopes raised by the political changes at national and local levels in 2020. However, the local institutional context is becoming clearer, and
the 1st micro-project “Sustainable use of peloids from the Ulcinj Saltpans Nature Park” (NB: a particular clay used in skin care products) has now started with the launch of a 1st study on the saltpans clays that could be used sustainably, and that could eventually help finance the
management of the site. An expert, Mr Gojko Nikolic, was engaged for the quantitative assessment
of the peloid suitable for sustainable extraction, and for peloid quality analyses. Mr Nikolic used his own knowledge and contacts to provide analyses of samples collected in the field. As this is the first
time that peloid research has been conducted in this region, the study contains a lot of additional
background data, such as desk research on existing data, the geo-spatial base and geology of the
region, geo-ecological characteristics, a detailed report on the samples collected, etc. CZIP is
currently finalising the guidelines and recommendations on the possibility of peloid extraction, and
will then hire another expert for the development of the business model for Ulcinj salina.
For the 2nd micro-project “Inventory of mammal species in Ulcinj Salina Nature Park and
surrounding wetlands”, an agreement was signed with WildLife Montenegro (WLMNE), an expert
on this fauna group. The micro-project is being implemented according to the initial schedule. The
fieldwork has been carried out and a first interim report summarising the presence of the species
and their status in the project area is available. In order to set up a longer term monitoring, CZIP and WLMNE will agree on the mammal species to be
considered as indicator species, and a monitoring protocol will be developed for them .
