After many years of tireless efforts to combat illegal bird hunting, our Montenegrin partners at CZIP have achieved an important milestone: the adoption of the National Action Plan against Bird Crime.
In Montenegro, the adoption of the National Action Plan marks an important step forward in the fight against the illegal killing of birds.
© Joachim Mahrholdt
In safe hands: Our partners from CZIP hold a quail in their hands after ringing it. Quails fall victim to hunters' shotguns in large numbers in Southeast Europe.
© Marija Šoškić PopovićThe illegal killing of birds is a recurring problem in Montenegro. Birds are killed, captured, and traded illegally. Our partners at CZIP have been working to combat these illegal activities for many years, and now, they have achieved a major success: the government in Podgorica has adopted the National Action Plan to Combat the Illegal Killing, Capture, and Trade of Migratory Birds for the period 2025–2030.
“This is the result of years of lobbying for Montenegro's bird life and the success of close cooperation with partner organisations such as EuroNatur and BirdLife International, as well as government institutions,” says Ksenija Medenica, Program Director at CZIP. “It proves that persistence in the fight for nature pays off.”
“This is a huge step in the right direction and a great success for migratory birds along the Adriatic flyway,” says Dr Justine Vansynghel, Project Manager Migratory Birds at EuroNatur. “The creation of the National Action Plan shows us that the Montenegrin government is willing to take the illegal killing of birds seriously and to act against unacceptable bird crime. Hopefully, many more countries will follow Montenegro's good example.”
“This document will help to close long-standing gaps and finally establish an effective system for preventing and combating illegal activities against birds in Montenegro,” emphasises Marija Lekić of CZIP. “We hope that it marks a real shift from words to action and ensures that the plan becomes a living tool for nature conservation and does not remain just a declaration on paper.”
The next step will be to establish a national coordination centre and implement the action plan. EuroNatur and CZIP will accompany this process on the ground. In addition, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that national action plans are also developed, adopted, and implemented in other countries along the Adriatic Flyway. Croatia and Serbia are already well on their way in this regard; in both countries, the development of a national action plan is currently underway.