Skadar Lake watershed becomes a UNESCO biosphere reserve

The river that flows past the village ends in Skadar Lake, about 7 km downstream. Since 5 June 2026, all the land that drains into that lake has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Rijeka Crnojevića is part of it.

What was decided

On 5 June 2026, World Environment Day, UNESCO added 14 new biosphere reserves to its world network. One of them is the Skadar Lake Watershed in Montenegro. UNESCO says it is Montenegro’s first biosphere reserve. On the same day, a reserve was also declared on the Albanian side of the lake. The two nominations were prepared together, as part of cross-border cooperation between the two countries.

The Montenegrin reserve is much bigger than the national park. It covers 254,694 hectares, from the mountain springs of the Morača River down to the Adriatic shore. The national park, and our village with it, lie inside it. According to the European Green Belt Association, the nomination project was led by the Montenegrin NGO Environment Programme (EnvPro).

A park with a long story

The national park was created in 1983. In 1995 it was listed as a Ramsar wetland. Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkans. It covers about 370 km² in summer and up to 540 km² in winter. About 280 bird species have been recorded here. In 2026 about 306 Dalmatian pelicans were counted, a record nesting season. You can read more on our nature page.

Where the village fits

Rijeka Crnojevića lies inside the park, in Zone III, the zone for settlements. A 2022 review of the park proposed making it larger, at 45,455 ha. For park fees and rules, see the national park page.

The sources we used do not yet say what the new status will change in daily life. We will add details when they are published. A related document, the proposed management plan for 2026–2030, includes no visitor infrastructure for the village.

Not everyone agrees

A local group, the Initiative Committee for Freedom and Development of Riječka Nahija, wants its villages left out of both the park and the UNESCO programme. Minister Damjan Ćulafić says the park boundaries will not change. We set out both positions in a separate post.

Have you heard what the new status means for the village? Tell us, with a source if you can.

Correction, 4 October 2026: an earlier version of this post gave the date as 7 June 2026 and said this was not Montenegro’s first biosphere reserve. UNESCO’s announcement gives 5 June 2026 and calls it Montenegro’s first.