5 Management Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Natural Values of the Privately Owned Nature Park “Solana Ulcinj”, Montenegro Landesmuseum Joanneum Zoologie Borut STUMBERGER, Peter SACKL, Darko SAVELJI, Martin SCHNEIDER-JACOBY Management Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Natural Values of the Privately Owned Nature Park “Solana Ulcinj”, Montenegro March 2007 Reprinted from: Joannea-Zoologie 10, 2008 Published by EuroNatur – Stiftung Europäisches Naturerbe Steiermärkisches Landesmuseum Joanneum – Zoologie with support by the MAVA Foundation Graz, December 2008 Selbstverlag Landesmuseum Joanneum, Zoologie, 8010 Graz, Raubergasse 10. Druck und Endfertigung: Druckerei Khil, Graz. Graz, 2008 Photos front cover: Greater Flamingo (M. Tiefenbach), Dalmatian Pelican (L. Khil), European Bee-eater (P. Sackl) and Solana Ulcinj, Jezero 2 (M. Schneider-Jacoby). Joannea Zool. 10: 5–84 (2008) Management plan for the conservation and sustainable use of the natural values of the privately owned Nature Park «Solana Ulcinj», Montenegro1 March 2007 Borut STUMBERGER, Peter SACKL, Darko SAVELJI and Martin SCHNEIDER-JACOBY Contents Abstract .................................................................................................... 7 Sažetak ..................................................................................................... 8 Abstrakt .................................................................................................... 9 Zusammenfassung ..................................................................................... 10 Glossary .................................................................................................... 12 1. Vision and mission ................................................................................. 14 2. Methods and background ........................................................................ 15 3. Site description ...................................................................................... 16 3.1 General information .............................................................................. 16 3.1.1 Location ........................................................................................... 16 3.1.2 History ............................................................................................ 18 3.1.3 Climate ............................................................................................ 19 3.1.4 Protection status and strategies .......................................................... 20 3.2 Salt production .................................................................................... 22 3.3 The Solana as habitat ........................................................................... 24 3.3.1 General information ........................................................................... 25 3.3.2 Fauna .............................................................................................. 26 3.3.2.1 Mammals ...................................................................................... 26 3.3.2.2 Birds ............................................................................................ 26 3.3.2.3 Fishes ........................................................................................... 31 3.3.2.4 Brine shrimps (Anostraca) ............................................................... 32 3.3.2.5 Insects .......................................................................................... 32 3.3.2.6 Mollusca ....................................................................................... 32 3.3.3 Flora ............................................................................................... 33 3.4 International importance ....................................................................... 33 1 This paper was printed with support by the MAVA Foundation and EuroNatur Foundation. 5 4. Management objectivies .......................................................................... 38 4.1 Main goals .......................................................................................... 38 4.2 Salt production .................................................................................... 39 4.2.1 Maintenance of dikes ......................................................................... 39 4.2.2 Water regime .................................................................................... 42 4.2.3 Vegetation ........................................................................................ 44 4.2.4 Medicinal use of the salt-pans ............................................................ 44 4.3 Rangers .............................................................................................. 44 4.4 Protected areas .................................................................................... 46 4.5 Nature tourism and environmental education ........................................... 49 4.5.1 Information centre ............................................................................. 49 4.5.2 Educational trail ................................................................................ 50 4.5.3 Visitor train ...................................................................................... 51 4.5.4 Bicycle trail ...................................................................................... 51 4.5.5 Salt festival ...................................................................................... 52 4.5.6 Visitor programme “Salt Production” .................................................... 52 4.5.7 Regional programmes ........................................................................ 53 4.6 Management of the Nature Park “Solana Ulcinj” ...................................... 53 4.6.1 Management of the privately owned conservation area .......................... 53 4.6.2 Financing and entrance fees ............................................................... 54 4.6.3 Wise use of the Solana’s natural resources ........................................... 55 5. Monitoring ............................................................................................ 56 6. Action plan ............................................................................................ 58 6.1 Basin 1 (Kneta) ................................................................................... 58 6.2 Basins 2–13 (Kneta) ............................................................................ 59 6.3 Stojski 1 & 2 ....................................................................................... 61 6.4 Basins 17–27 ...................................................................................... 61 6.5 “Meadow” ........................................................................................... 62 6.6 Basins 28–32 ...................................................................................... 63 6.7 Jezero 2 .............................................................................................. 64 6.8 Zoganjski 1 & 2 ................................................................................... 65 6.9 Jezero 1 .............................................................................................. 66 6.10 Evaporation II .................................................................................... 68 6.11. Evaporation III–IV ............................................................................. 69 6.12 Crystallisation .................................................................................... 70 6.13 Reservoirs 1 & 2 ................................................................................ 70 6.14 Canals .............................................................................................. 71 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... 72 References ................................................................................................ 73 Appendix 1–5 ............................................................................................ 76 6 Abstract: Salinas are important wetland habitats, whose significance for nesting and migrating waterbirds is based on the process of salt production, i. e. the annual flooding and drying-out of evaporation basins. With a whole area of 14,9 km2 the salina of Ul- cinj (Solana Ulcinj) belongs to the group of the largest, operative salinas in the Mediter- ranean region. The salina is situated in the delta of the Bojana-Buna River at the eas- tern coast of the Adriatic Sea in southern Montenegro. Based on regular countings of resting and wintering waterbirds and breeding bird surveys since April 2003, the pre- sent management plan (MP) was developed by Euronatur Foundation in cooperation with the Solana Ulcinj. Because the regular flooding of the salt-pans with seawater and saline waters is essential for preserving the unique wetland habitats of the area, the maintenance of the Solana Ulcinj is a common aim of both parties involved in the MP. EuroNatur and the Solana Ulcinj aim to develop and to preserve the natural values of the salina as a ma- naged protection area based on best practice and international standards of nature con- servation. The shear extent of the salina’s wetland habitats and the high species diversity of its fauna and flora are unique for the eastern Adriatic region. The Solana Ulcinj is the most important resting, wintering and breeding site for many species of waterbirds