EnvPro, together with NGO Eco-team, has launched a new project titled "Support to Conservation and Sustainable Management of Skadar Lake Basin Ecosystems", focused on the conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystems of the Lake Skadar Basin, including connected systems such as Međureč, the largest freshwater lake in the Balkans and an internationally important site listed on the Ramsar List.

The Lake Skadar Basin was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on 5 June and is one of the most ecologically significant freshwater habitats in the Mediterranean, home to exceptional biodiversity including endemic fish species and large bird populations. The peatlands within the lake are of particular importance for carbon storage, hydrological regulation and biodiversity conservation, yet remain poorly researched, with the last studies dating back to the 1990s, and are increasingly threatened by eutrophication, nutrient inputs from the Morača River basin, the spread of the invasive species Egeria densa and uncontrolled tourism. The project also covers the Međureč canyon, part of the Bojana River basin, with its old-growth forests, karst springs and habitats of endemic species that likewise require protection.

The project is implemented through five strategic objectives:

• increasing knowledge, capacity and awareness of the importance of the Lake Skadar peatlands for biodiversity, water management and carbon storage;
• reducing nutrient inputs into the lake through participatory planning and piloting of Floating Treatment Wetlands as a nature-based solution;
• supporting the control of the spread and ecological impacts of the invasive aquatic macrophyte Egeria densa;
• improving the conservation and sustainable use of the Međureč canyon through the OECM model (other effective area-based conservation measures);
• promoting sustainable eco-tourism at the Lake Skadar peatlands and in the Međureč canyon.

Activities include developing an inventory and management guidelines for the peatlands, participatory mapping of pollution sources in the Morača River basin, monitoring and pilot removal of the invasive species Egeria densa, developing a Visitor Management Plan, and developing a sustainable eco-tourism model based on experiences from other protected areas.

The project's results will benefit the Public Enterprise for National Parks of Montenegro, as the key institution responsible for managing Lake Skadar, as well as the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, and local communities and municipalities around the lake (Podgorica, Zeta, Bar, Ulcinj, Cetinje, Tuzi) and the Međureč canyon.

This activity is implemented within the project "Support to Conservation and Sustainable Management of Skadar Lake Basin Ecosystems," carried out by NGO Eco-team in partnership with NGO Environment Programme-EnvPro, with the support of the Donors Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE). The project started on 1 May 2026 and runs for 30 months, until October 2028.

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