In a world where nature conservation and protection of the environment is needed more than ever, women are playing a key role. In this series of articles, we are shining a light on those women whose passion, courage and vision is bringing positive change and making a significant contribution to the conservation of nature in Europe.
What is it like working as a woman in nature conservation in Montenegro?
Not so easy. Particularly in remote rural areas that were very isolated for a long time and still have a very traditional idea of women. Women there are seen as housewives who clean and take care of the cooking. You can see a gradual change, especially in the urban areas like Podgorica and in the south of the country too, but change is happening very slowly, and it will take a lot more time. I travel all over Montenegro doing my field work. In remote areas I do sometimes get into unpleasant situations. Fortunately, so far nothing really bad has happened, but I often feel uncomfortable, particularly if I don’t have any reception on my mobile while I’m out there. Time and time again, men turn up who persist in asking me what I’m doing alone in the forest. On the other hand, I’m often ignored by men when I’m working in the field with my two male colleagues Bojan and Nikola, and we get into conversation with the locals. As a woman you are invisible, in line with the traditional idea that “serious matters are discussed by the men.”
Do you find this sort of patriarchal behaviour in your organisation CZIP too?
No in CZIP I’m operating in a healthy environment, and even our director is a woman. Over the past ten years, there have been some changes in this respect in Montenegro. Most NGOs in the area of nature conservation are led by women; I find that inspiring.
When Marija Šoškić Popović watches birds, she is in her element.
At CZIP there are three ornithologists working, two men and a woman – you. How did you develop such an extraordinary passion for the world of birds?
I grew up in a small village in the north of Montenegro, surrounded by forest, rivers and mountains. My role model was my father, who loved to collect bird feathers. When I was a bit older, he gave me his feather collection. I was particularly fascinated by the feathers of the hazel grouse. I really wanted to find out which bird they came from and that’s how it all began. That’s when I was given my first bird guide. Soon I was out birdwatching with my grandfather’s huge Russian binoculars. One of the birds I was particularly excited about was the western capercaillie. During their courting display the males are deaf and notice nothing around them. They close their eyes, throw back their heads and sing. After I finished my geography degree, I couldn’t find a job in my subject, and I felt frustrated. For five years, I took jobs I didn’t like but I took the opportunity to educate myself. I was working in shops and had plenty of time to read books about bird eggs and bird feathers. My passion for birds became deeper and deeper. Then I was offered a job with CZIP. They’d come across my bird photos on social media. That was seven and a half years ago…
It sounds as though coming together with CZIP felt like a gift in your life…
Oh yes, it did! I’d been following CZIP’s work for years but never dared to apply for a job with them because I assumed I’d have to be a biologist to do that. When they approached me, I could hardly believe it.
So that turned your dream into a reality. What’s the everyday routine like at CZIP now?
In the spring and autumn, we’re out in the field a lot, monitoring birds, ringing birds, but the rest of the year there’s a lot of office work to do too. Sometimes I get up at 2 or 3 in the morning and drive north or south for two hours to a bird monitoring location. Those are long days. It can happen that I’ve got work waiting for me in the office after that as I’m also responsible for coordinating three projects. It can be quite challenging.
For the past seven years, Marija Šoškić Popović, 37, has been working for our Montenegrin partner organisation CZIP as an ornithologist responsible for bird monitoring and the ringing of birds. The data she collects makes an important contribution to preventing the destruction of important bird habitats in Montenegro. Marija has loved birds since her childhood and her other passion is wildlife photography.
In Montenegro, the calandra lark only nests in Ćemovsko Polje.
When I became a mother, I wondered how I would manage to organise my work. Luckily, my husband is very supportive, and I don’t have to worry about whether my daughter is OK. But it is difficult to manage everything. Before I had a child, I could go to bed at 8pm with a clear conscience and be fit to go at 4 the next morning. My little one does go to bed at eight, but then I still have plenty of housework to do. However, I find it easier to organise everything because I do know what I’m working for.
What project are you particularly working on at the moment?
I’m coordinating projects for the protection of birds along the Adriatic Flyway, and my other tasks include the monitoring of breeding birds on the Ulcinj Salina. We are currently fighting to save the Velika Plaza beach near the salt flats. It’s unbelievable that there are plans to develop our last unspoilt stretches of coast. When birds arrive from Africa, they land on the Velika Plaza before continuing to Ulcinj Salina. If a luxury resort is actually developed on this unspoilt natural beach, it will also harm the birds on the Ulcinj salt flats, as they are just a kilometre away. Some species, for example the little tern, only nest there in the whole of Montenegro. It breeds on Ulcinj Salina, and its feeding grounds are the Velika Plaza. There’s a long list of other bird species where the same is true. It’s a good thing that we have comprehensive bird data for the area; this is the foundation we need to be able to stop crazy projects like this one. I’ve read a lot about the waves of investors flooding into Albania. Now exactly the same thing is happening in Montenegro.
Despite the clouds appearing on the horizon again, the story of Ulcinj Salina is still one to give you heart, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s an inspiring story. The path to getting the salt flats finally designated as a nature conservation area was long and hard. I joined CZIP at the height of the battle. I started in 2018 and just over a year later the salt flats became a nature conservation area. When I tell people I work for CZIP, they mostly react by saying, “Great, you work for that organisation that saved the Ulcinj Salina!” But that’s not the end of the story. That protection exists mainly on paper. It’s good that we were able to prevent the development of a luxury resort on Ulcinj Salina, but it will only be really good when the saltworks are operational again and managed in the interest of nature conservation. Some shallow waters where stone curlew and collared pratincole used to breed are already becoming overgrown. These species are disappearing because there is nowhere left for them to nest. But we are confident that the situation will improve. We have a permanent presence in the Salina.
I’ve always wanted to have female role models, women working in the field as scientists, showing me nature and birds.
Marija Šoškić Popović
Marija is particularly fond of the stone curlew. She gets very close to the animals when ringing birds.
It takes a lot of energy to achieve something in nature conservation. Which female qualities are helpful in your opinion?
I have many women around me who are real fighters. My female colleagues inspire me every day. I think women are able to commit fully to something with a real passion. That’s crucial to bringing about change in nature conservation. We find it easier to speak from the heart and that carries others along with us. That is vital as most people have had no real experience of nature. I hope that I can encourage one or more other young women to get involved in nature conservation. Some of our volunteers tell me that my love of my job is inspiring them. Hearing that makes me happy. I never had any female role models, female scientists working in the field, showing me nature and birds.
What’s the situation with the next generation of ornithologists?
Unfortunately, only very few are interested in this work. We continuously invite school classes over to accompany us as we ring and monitor birds. A couple of the girls want to understand in detail how that is done. They send me bird pictures and ask me what species they show. That shows me how important it is to invest in environmental education.
How does it feel to hold a bird in your hand and fit a ring on it?
They are so fragile. It’s crazy to imagine how many kilometres they have travelled. Ringing birds is one of the best ways to bring nature and birds closer to more people. At our open ringing days, those taking part are allowed to touch the birds, they learn something about their lives and their journey here. They experience for themselves how tiny and delicate the birds are. These encounters are more intense than looking through binoculars.
Do you have a favourite species of bird?
At the moment, it’s the stone curlew. I find them so funny and fascinating! Stone curlews are nocturnal and if you see them in the daytime they will be lazing around. We fitted one particular bird with a GPS transmitter. The following spring, it came back to exactly the same spot to nest.
What does birdwatching give you?
Birdwatching gives me a deep feeling of inner peace and a strong connection with nature. It teaches me to be patient. I think, in a world where new technologies are taking us further and further away from nature, there is an urgent need for us to reconnect with our roots.
It’s clearly not easy to experience the beauty of nature so intensely and, at the same time, be aware of all the threats to it. How do you recharge your batteries?
My biggest source of motivation comes from being outside and feeling nature. Certain bird calls make me happy. In Montenegro, we still have a lot of wilderness. That’s a gift, that we need to preserve and I want to help do that. I feel a great responsibility to preserve this beauty for my daughter and all the other children. They deserve to experience how real nature feels. When I first heard the plans for Velika Plaza, I was struck by the thought of how awful it would be if I were only be able to show my children this wonderful area in photos.
How valuable is international support when fighting projects that destroy nature?
Extremely. The support from EuroNatur in the campaign to save theUlcinj Salina was crucial. The attention internationally is also really valuable because it shows the local population that the nature we have here is something special!
If you were allowed to put up something on a screen in Podgorica to give strength to other women, what would you write?
“Do what makes you happy” and “Things happen at the right time.” As I said before, for five years I had jobs I didn’t enjoy. Those were five very long years. But I made use of that period of transition to learn more about birds and in the end that was what brought me to CZIP. When that opportunity to turn my passion into a career came along, it was like a dream.
Marija, many thanks for this inspiring conversation!
Interview: Katharina Grund
"Children deserve to experience what real nature feels like," says Marija. In the picture with her little daughter Galica.
