Riječka nahija and the national park: two positions

On 14 July 2025, residents of the Riječka nahija held a protest. Behind it is one question: should their villages be part of Skadar Lake National Park?

The background

Nahija is an old word for a district. “Rijeka” was already listed as one in an Ottoman tax register in 1523. Today Rijeka Crnojevića and the other villages of the Riječka nahija lie inside the park. Rijeka Crnojevića is in Zone III, the zone for settlements. A 2022 review of the park proposed enlarging it to 45,455 ha. On 5 June 2026, almost a year after the protest, the park also became part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, the Skadar Lake Watershed.

What the initiative wants

The Initiative Committee for Freedom and Development of Riječka Nahija wants three things:

• its villages left out of the national park;
• its villages left out of the UNESCO programme;
• the old name back.

The sources we used do not say exactly which name the committee means. We will add it when we can confirm it. The committee has also threatened to take the matter to court.

What the ministry says

Damjan Ćulafić is the Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism (MERS). He says the park boundaries will not change.

What happens next

If the committee files a lawsuit, we will report it here. We will also add any new statements from either side, with sources.

Are you part of the initiative, or do you work for the park or the ministry? If something here is missing or wrong, please contact us. For the park’s rules and fees, see the national park page. For more on life in the village, see people and economy.