News / Ecological

Lake Skadar National Park in Montenegro, listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance, is one of Europe's five most important wintering sites for birds. The government, however, appears to be trying to push forward plans to erect multiple dams along the outstanding Morača canyon.

Alternatives to building dams

In september 2010 the government promised to consider alternatives to the 40-year-old dams plan after a storm of domestic and international criticism. The government is now working to introduce a “concession act,” which would in effect reinvigorate the multiple dams plan by giving directions to potential investors. The concession act, for which consultation just ended, once approved will enable the government to launch a call for tenders for the project.

The dam plan in Moraca River

The Montenegrin government plans to build four dams on the Morača river. This idea would significantly threaten important biodiversity areas – so-called Emerald sites that should become the country’s future Natura 2000 sites once Montenegro joins the European Union – and impact one of the most important bird and fish habitats in the Mediterranean region.

The Morača River, the second most important in Montenegro, provides two thirds of the flows into Lake Skadar, the biggest lake in the Balkans and one of the most important bird and fish habitats in the Mediterranean region, providing more than 90 per cent of fish consumed in Montenegro.

Lake Skadar is one of Europe's five most important wintering sites for birds. Very rare endemic species of trout could disappear, and the fishery of Lake Skadar could shrink by 30 per cent – with a loss of some €1.5 million in annual fishing revenues.

Montenegrin Power Consumption

The government’s own figures show that Montenegrin power consumption per capita is five times the European Union average, with other studies showing transmission losses of more than three times the European rate. More than 50 percent of the country’s electricity demand comes from an aging and inefficient aluminum plant – KAP, which is currently undergoing serious economic difficulties.