For the past year, ever since June 2024, EnvPro’s “Conservation of endemic, rare and threatened plant species on Mt. Orjen – 2nd Phase” project team has been working diligently to return the short-toothed Sage stenoendemic plant (Salvia brachyodon Vandas) on the Montenegro territory, where it’s been considered endangered and threatened for years, yet not being certain on presence of its populations here.

This rare plant prefers the harsh dolomite substrate and the “company” of other local endemic species such as Linum elegans Spruner x Boiss, with which it often grows in associations. The closest known area to the Montenegrin border, where short-toothed Sage can be found is the Podštirovik (BiH) at the Mt. Orjen. That’s exactly where the project team members alongside young researchers and volunteers from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia went on the 26th and 27th July last year (2024) in search of the seeds of this plant. On that occasion, we used the opportunity to make sure of the state of a population of Orjen’s Iris (Iris orjeni Bräuchler & Cikovac), we translocated in the previous phase of the project, to conclude it was stable. We went back to the Podštirovik mid-August the same year, and at that time, managed to collect a significant amount of S. brachyodon seeds.

Project team member PhD Sneža Dragićević had the opportunity to take part in a study visit to University of Primorska Koper, Slovenia (12.02-19.02.2025) where the lab protocol for seeds germination and nurturing was developed. The seeds were then carefully sprouted in lab conditions, and the seedlings were produced and cared for, one part at the University in Koper, and the other at the University of Montenegro, under the guidance of the project’s consulting experts Prof. Boštjan Surina and Prof. Peter Glasnović

A smaller number of seedlings were translocated to a dedicated land plot in Montenegro, in the area of Kruševice (Herceg Novi municipality) in a project activity that took place on 15.06.2025. The remaining, larger part is set for translocation later this year, in the autumn, as the harsh Mediterranean summer would probably prevent most units from surviving and establishing themselves. The translocation was made possible by Milorad Vlaović, Snežana Dragićević, volunteer Jelena Brnović, Boštjan Surina i Ana Katnić.

When the full translocation is accomplished, the monitoring of this and other endemic Orjen species continues, according to a monitoring plan produced as part of the project. The project has realized plans for replication and scale up too.

The project activities were made possible thanks to the support from the project partner CEPF, whose representatives took part in one of the field activities.

We also wish to express our gratitude to the local authorities EPA Mne and Municipality Herceg Novi, as well as to the Republic Institute for the Protection of cultural, historical and natural heritage from Banja Luka for support on the project.