The EU, as a part of the IPA program of over-border cooperation between BiH and Montenegro, will finance the ORNIBA project- protection of avian species in the Balkans: Joint intervention of BiH and Montenegro, reports FENA.
The EU has secured 177 000 EUR for a part of this project in Montenegro and 150 000 EUR for part of this project in BiH. The project in BiH is implemented by Oxfam Italia, Sarajevo Office, with partners Association ‘Our Birds’ Sarajevo and NGO ‘Novi Val’ from Blagaj, and Centre for Protection and Study of Birds of Montenegro (CZIP) Podgorica and Tivat Municipality.
The area of intervention is Park of Nature ‘Hutovo blato’ in BiH and Protected area ‘Tivatska solila’ in Montenegro. Project started in January this year and it will last until December 2014.
‘Hutovo blato’ and ‘Tivatska solila’ are protected areas of immense importance for bird species that live there.
Inability of adequate protection makes a fertile ground for poaching, which negatively reflects on the number of bird species. The project will establish the current state in both areas and propose the manner of the protection, and then there will be a campaign against poaching.
The project plans to build the capacity of governing bodies on both sites, the harmonization of laws on hunting of BiH and Montenegro with the laws of the EU, and to indicate the possibility of an organized bird watching as an important tourism industry, and the include these activities in the tourist offer of the region.
This would result in a significantly increased revenue and it would create a better financial basis for organizing efficient ranger service, and thereby more effective protection of these ecologically important areas.
