EnvPro, together with NGO Eco-tim, haslaunched a new project titled "Support to Conservation and Sustainable Management of Skadar Lake Basin Ecosystems", focused on the conservationand 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 project is implemented with support of the Donors Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems – DIMFE and will last for 30 months, from 1 May 2026, until 31 October 2028.
The Lake Skadar Basin was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on 5 June 2026 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, hydrologicalregulation 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 ecosystem of Međureč, part of the Bojana River basin, with its old-growthforests, karst springs and habitats of endemic species that likewise require protection.
The project is implemented through five strategic objectives:
● increasing knowledge, capacity andawareness of the importance of the Lake Skadar peatlands for biodiversity, water management and carbon storage;
● reducing nutrient inputs into thelake through participatory planning and piloting of Floating Treatment Wetlandsas a nature-based solution;
● supporting the control of the spread and ecological impacts of the invasive aquatic macrophyte Egeria densa;
● improving the conservation andsustainable use of the ecosystem of Međureč through the OECM model (other effectivearea-based conservation measures);
● promoting sustainable eco-tourismat the Lake Skadar peatlands and in the ecosystem of Međureč.
Activities include developing aninventory 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 Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, and local communities and municipalities around the lake (Podgorica, Zeta, Bar, Ulcinj, Cetinje, Tuzi) and the ecosystem of Međureč.
