Posted on 15 July 2009
- Proposed construction of dams on Moraca
River: environmental risk assessment of
Moraca canyon and Skadar lake 1.21 MB pdf
Rome, Italy/Podgorica, Montenegro – Dam
projects planned in Montenegro will likely
harm Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the
Balkans and a protected wetland site that
is home to crucial bird and fish habitats,
according to a study by WWF and Green Home.
The study – 'Proposed
construction of dams on Moraca River: environmental
risk assessment of Moraca canyon and Skadar
lake' – shows that four dams planned on
the Moraca River could create water level
changes that would impact on the speed,
time and quantity of water flow and sediments
transported into the lake.
“The construction of
dams on Moraca river should be carefully
evaluated to assess whether they are the
best possible options (cost-effective and
less environmentally and socially damaging)
as their construction will have an impact
on important sites (...) and on the economy
of local populations just to mention the
most striking impacts,” according to the
study.
Lake Skadar and its
surrounding wetlands are listed under the
Ramsar Convention as wetlands of global
importance.
The lake houses one
of the most important bird and fish habitats
in the Mediterranean region – providing
more than 90% of fish consumed in Montenegro.
Lake Skadar also is
one of Europe's five most important wintering
sites for birds. Some 150,000 birds migrate
to the lake every year to spend the winter
season, according to recent censuses.
In addition, Lake Skadar
is largely fed by rivers, including the
Moraca, which provides approximately 60%
of the lake's water.
“The results of our
studies are more dramatic than we could
have imagined,” said Francesca Antonelli,
Head of the Freshwater Programme at WWF
Mediterranean.
“If the construction
of these dams goes ahead, not only the Moraca
River ecosystem, but also the biodiversity
of the largest lake in the Balkans – not
to mention hundreds of local jobs and livelihoods
– would suffer a serious blow.”
Flooding of the Moraca
canyon would also severely affect two nature
hotspots designated as Emerald Network sites
(also soon to be declared Natura 2000 sites)
– the Mrtvica River and the Mala Rjeka.
An entire fisheries-based
economy that currently supports more than
600 families around Lake Skadar is also
under threat. Very rare endemic species
of trout could disappear and the fishery
of Lake Skadar, mostly based on carp, could
shrink by 30% – with a loss of some €1.5
million in annual fishing revenues.
A major hydropower investor
in South-East Europe, the Norwegian company
Statkraft, has also expressed concern. Statkraft
originally considered developing hydropower
projects on the Moraca River, but is also
now expressing growing concern.
“Before investing we
want to ensure that the proposed dam designs
are environmentally friendly and support
social and economic development in addition
to being cost effective,” said Bredo Erichsen,
Managing Director of Statkraft Albania.
“Statkraft applies strict
standards in all hydropower development
worldwide. This has been our focus in Albania
but investing in Montenegro is more uncertain
– unless the opportunities to minimise social
and environmental impact and optimise cost
and production are clarified.”
In December 2008, the
Montenegrin government approved the construction
of four dams on the Moraca River, with the
aim of further exploiting the hydropower
potential of the country and ensuring energy
independence for its population.
“Any new dams must be
planned taking into account European Union
environmental standards – and assessed to
this effect before construction begins,”
said Darko Pajovic, Head of WWF’s partner
NGO in Montenegro, Green Home.
“We appreciate that
a Strategic Environmental Assessment of
the four dams is currently being carried
out by the Montenegrin government, but we
are somewhat concerned about the results
of our own studies. We want to believe that
our findings will be taken into serious
consideration in the planning of the dams,
in accordance with EU standards as set out
in the Water Framework Directive.”
WWF has been calling
on the Montenegrin government since 2007
to respect provisions concerning dams and
other water infrastructure under the EU
Water Framework Directive to ensure minimal
environmental impact. The process must be
in compliance with EU standards, and before
construction begins it should be proven
that the proposed dams are the least environmentally
damaging and most cost-effective option
– and that no better alternatives are available
to meet energy needs in Montenegro.
“Montenegro claims to
be a “green state” – and now is the time
for the government to show their leadership
in the region towards such a commitment,”
Antonelli said.
For more information
Chantal Ménard
Notes to editor
- EU Water Framework
Directive
The December 2000 Water Framework Directive
(WFD) is the most important legislative
tool for freshwater protection across the
EU. It obliges Member States to meet a holistic
ecological objective, i.e. to achieve good
status (ecological, chemical and hydromorphological)
for all waters using the river basin as
the main water management unit.
- Natura 2000 and the
Emerald Network
In 1992 EU Member States adopted the Directive
on the Conservation of Natural Habitats
and of Wild Fauna and Flora (CE/92/43).
The Habitats Directive, as it is also known,
aims to protect biodiversity by means of
a pan-European network of protected areas.
The Emerald Network is the equivalent of
Natura 2000 in non-EU countries.
- Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is the
only environmental treaty for a particular
type of ecosystem and the first global intergovernmental
treaty to combine conservation and sustainable
use of natural resources. Signed in 1971,
it originally focused on the conservation
and wise use of wetlands primarily to protect
waterbird habitat. However, its basic tenets
have broadened over the years to recognize
wetlands, including coastal wetlands such
as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass
beds, as ecosystems that are extremely important
for both biodiversity conservation and the
well-being of human communities.
