Montenegro is a Mediterranean country with the highest percentage of land covered by wetlands – as much as 7.7% of its territory is made up of ponds, marshes, swamps, lagoons…
Wetlands support great biodiversity in both plant and animal life, which gives Montenegro exceptional landscape value, but at the same time imposes a duty and responsibility to preserve and manage these habitats wisely.
The lower course of the Bojana River is one such example, and a species that inhabits this area – the Skadar frog – is an endemic one, found only in Montenegro and Albania.
Instead of treating this ecosystem as a valuable resource, we are turning it into a problem. In one legal act, the Skadar frog is protected, while in another, its commercial harvesting is allowed. The lack of communication between ministries, along with the unawareness of government officials, leads to misuse and poses a threat to the Skadar frog and many other species.
It is necessary for the relevant authorities to correct these mistakes, harmonise legal acts, and train customs officers and environmental inspectors by the end of 2021.
These are some of the reasons why MES continues to research the harvesting, trade, and export of green frogs from Montenegro.
