River in focus: Morača River

Country: Montenegro

Local partners: CZIP, CDE

Project goal: 

To safeguard the integrity of the Morača River and its tributaries by developing, together with local, regional, national and international stakeholders, a protection scheme for the Morača River based on mutual understanding and trust. Local stakeholders will actively contribute to protecting the Morača River. 

Background

In 2023, after more than ten years of hard work, the Vjosa River in Albania was proclaimed as Europe’s first “Wild River National Park”. This success sets new standards for protecting rivers. To create a network of large-scale protected river systems which could become the backbone of river protection in the Balkans, we aim to replicate the approach. To do so, we commissioned a study that considered key criteria that qualified the Vjosa River as WRNP: free-flowing river km, the absence of barriers such as hydropower or other dams, and the hydromorphological condition of the river (system). In total, 65,670 km of rivers located in ex-Yugoslav countries, plus Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Türkiye were assessed, scored and ranked based on the above-mentioned criteria. 

The study identified 92 free-flowing river systems longer than 100 km, as well as 31 rivers of comparable quality to the Vjosa River and therefore qualify as potential next “Wild River National Park” candidates. One of the rivers identified as a candidate is the Morača River and its tributaries in Montenegro. 

Currently, the Morača River, as well as most of its tributaries, are not under protection. So far, only one of its tributaries has been granted a protection status (Zeta Nature Park). Also, the Skadar Lake, which the Morača flows into, is protected (Lake Skadar National Park). 

Ongoing threats

Even though the national Spatial Plan does not indicate any hydropower plants along the Morača River, the municipal Spatial Plan does. Therefore, there is a risk that the river is being exploited by the construction of hydropower plants. In the lower course of the Morača River, between Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica and Lake Skadar, extensive (illegal) gravel extraction takes place. An additional threat is the uncontrolled development of tourism along the river and its tributaries. 

How we are taking action

The Morača River is an integral part of the Blue Heart of Europe and deserves qualified protection and management. The aim of the project is to ensure the long-term conservation of the hydromorphological and biodiversity characteristics of the Morača River and its tributaries by implementing a holistic, science-based approach. Based on a series of studies, a concept for the qualified protection of the Morača River Basin will be developed in close cooperation with stakeholders and decision-makers at national, regional and local levels to ensure their full support throughout the process. The process will be accompanied by activities aimed at the local population along the Morača River and its tributaries. These activities aim to create an emotional bond between the local people and 'their' river, moving local support for protection beyond personal economic benefit to an intrinsic motivation to protect the river. On this basis, capacity-building activities will be offered to the local population for small-scale development in line with the protection of the area.