The Environmental Inspection has yet to determine whether one of the organizers of a sporting event—specifically, an obstacle course race that partially traverses the protected area of Durmitor National Park—has violated the Nature Protection Law.

This information was provided to “Vijesti” by the Department for Environmental Inspection of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Northern Development.

The Public Company for National Parks of Montenegro (JPNPCG) submitted the initiative for inspection oversight.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a permit to the event organizer, but, according to the JPNPCG initiative, the organizer did not fully adhere to the conditions outlined in the permit.

“The allegations from the initiative state that the obligations set by the Agency’s permit concerning the obstacles for the race were not met. This initiative is currently under review by the environmental inspection, and an investigation is underway to establish the facts. A decision regarding further administrative measures will be made after the facts are fully determined,” said Vesna Bigović, coordinator of the ecological inspection.

The Environmental Inspection emphasized that those granted permits by the Environmental Protection Agency for activities in protected areas must comply with those permits.

“Any non-compliance can lead to misdemeanor liability. Furthermore, all users of protected areas, particularly national parks, must coordinate their actions with the management, JPNPCG, and follow the guidelines set forth by them,” the inspection added.

Montenegro has five protected areas designated as national parks: Skadar Lake, Lovćen, Biogradska gora, Durmitor, and Prokletije. In recent years, including this year, sporting events have been organized within these parks, including mountain and cycling races, fishing competitions, and marathons.

The NPCG recently informed “Vijesti” that the majority of organized events are various races, triathlons, obstacle races, and similar activities, with particular interest in those held in Durmitor National Park.

Over the last five years, various sporting events such as Bjelasica Trail, Durmitor Trail Run, Blacklake Xtreme Triathlon Montenegro, Highlander Montenegro, Durmitor and Prokletije Sky Running, Durrador, Sinjajevinski Marathon, Lovćen Cycling Race, BootCamp Challenge Montenegro, Grand Prix Tri Pazara, Sports Summer, and Skadar Lake Trophy Sports Fishing Competition have taken place in the park.

This year alone, around 10 sporting events have been organized in the national parks.

Organizers are required to seek approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and subsequently register the event with the NPCG. Both organizers and participants must adhere to the rules of conduct in protected areas, and organizers must register the number of participants, clearly specify the time and date of the event, and uphold the internal rules and regulations of the park.

Due to past transgressions, the NPCG noted irresponsible behaviors such as littering, disturbing wildlife, and setting up obstacles that harm the scenic landscape of the parks…

They previously mentioned that they had initiated inspection oversight against an organizer who failed to remove obstacles and markings and did not accurately report the number of participants. They also indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency had been informed of these issues. However, the Agency stated to “Vijesti” that compliance with the law falls under the environmental inspection’s jurisdiction.

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