2019 – 2021 CEPF Bojana Delta (area surrounding the Bojana River including Ulcinjsko Field, Šasko Lake, the hinterland of Velika Plaža, and the Salina)
Bojana River delta is located within the municipality of Ulcinj, at the southeastern edge of Montenegro. It is characterised by a diverse complex of unique and endangered natural and cultural landscapes, habitats, and species. It is one of the important natural or semi-natural wetland areas of the Eastern Mediterranean and recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). Within the KBA Bojana Delta are several internationally recognised important conservation sites (IBA, Emerald habitats) such as Šasko Lake, Ulcinj Salina, Velika Plaža, Ada Bojana, and Paratuk Island. Besides their biodiversity importance, the wetlands and aquatic habitats of the Bojana Delta provide a range of ecosystem services, including food, water, protection of settlements from noise, floods, and sudden climate changes, as well as opportunities for tourism and recreation development.
Bojana River delta area is exposed to significant anthropogenic pressures, causing biodiversity loss through habitat destruction and species decline. This is largely due to low public awareness of the importance of nature conservation and insufficient integration of environmental protection goals into spatial planning and economic development policies, particularly regarding the implementation of integrated coastal zone management. Some of the main factors negatively affecting wetland habitats and biodiversity in the Bojana Delta include inadequate waste and wastewater management, agricultural expansion at the expense of wetlands, and rapid tourism infrastructure development.
The Skadar frog (Pelophylax shqipericus) is an endangered Balkan endemic species of green frogs according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It inhabits wet and aquatic lowland habitats in southeastern Montenegro and northern and central coastal Albania.
In the Ulcinj area, specifically within the KBA Bojana Delta, the Skadar frog has been recorded at the following sites: Gornji Štoj, Donji Štoj (Velika Plaža, Ada Bojana, Bregvija), lower course of the Bojana River (Ćurke, Reč), Salina, Šasko Lake, Fraskanjel, Vladimir, Sukobin, and Žaka. These sites contain one or more habitats of the Skadar frog such as flooded forests, marshes, ponds, reed beds, canals, rivers, streams, lakes, and wet pastures.
Skadar frog is recognised as one of the key species contributing to the unique biodiversity of the KBA Bojana Delta. However, aquatic species such as green frogs, which are good indicators of the quality of wet and aquatic habitats, are highly threatened in this area. Awareness among the local community and Montenegrin society at large about the importance of amphibians and their habitats for maintaining healthy environments and aquatic ecosystems remains very low.
Therefore, monitoring the population status of the Skadar frog in the Bojana Delta area would provide valuable information about the quality of the wet and aquatic habitats in this region and help define conservation measures for this species.
In addition to significant anthropogenic impacts on their habitats, the Skadar frog’s endangered status in Montenegro is worsened by the presence of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which is considered one of the leading causes of amphibian population declines worldwide, as well as decades of commercial harvesting of green frogs in this region.
Project goals:
The project “Involving the Local Community in the Protection and Improvement of Habitat for the Endangered Skadar Frog (Pelophylax shqipericus) in the Bojana River Delta” aims to:
- Educate and raise awareness among the local community about amphibians and their importance for maintaining healthy environments and aquatic ecosystems through educational and promotional campaigns;
- Actively involve local community members in monitoring the Skadar frog population in the Bojana Delta and promote the adoption of appropriate agricultural practices to contribute to species protection and the conservation of the unique biological diversity of the Bojana Delta area;
- Integrate project results into local and national spatial planning and management documents to contribute to improved coastal zone management in Montenegro.
Project is implemented by MES in cooperation with the NGOs Environmental Programme (Env Pro) and Mogul, with financial support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).
