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Protesti 2004
Veliki Kabinet
Ujedinjena
Opozicija
Predsjednička Kampanja 2003
UNESCO addresses
for SiCG
UN environment
programma
UN environment
documents
United Nations Development Programme
photo gallery
petition
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Kampanje
SAVETARA
river
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HELP !!! Save Tara |
River Tara is the
longest Montenegrin river (141 km).
Its source is below Mount Komovo.
Tara is a great river with wild waters. It flows from Mojkovac between
high Mountains until it joins the River Piva. |
There it has cut a great canyon, 82 km in length and
which is in some places 1300 m deep. After the Colorado canyon this is the
longest and deepest canyon in the world.
Because of the fascinating beauty of these natural surroundings on 17th
January 1977 UNESCO in its programme “Man and Biosphere“ proclaimed the
River Tara an ecological reserve of the biosphere world. COMMENTS
sign on the petition to save the river Tara - potpisi
peticiju za spasenje rijeke Tare
sign on the petition to save the river Tara - potpisi
peticiju za spasenje rijeke Tare
In 1976. Tara river canyon was proclaimed a UNESCO reserve
as a part of Man and Biosphere Programme (MaB) and thus received special
protection from the international community. As a part of Durmitor mountain
National Park, Tara river canyon received yet another degree of protection
by being proclaimed UNESCO’s World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site
and included in UNESCO’s World Natural and Cultural Heritage List.
 In
1991. Republic of Montenegro added a special decree to its constitution
which defines it as an Ecological State and stating that all project documents
dedicated to different development kstrategies must be based the concepts
of sustainable development and conservation.
During the session of 29 th April 2004. Government of Republic of Montenegro
ratified the Agreement with Government of Republika Srpska concerning
the construction of hydroelectric power dam “Buk Bijela”. On 30 th Aprli
2004. Government of Republika Srpska opened a tender concerning the construction
of “Buk Bijela” hydroelectric power dam. Information about dam construction
was very scarce and only appeared in tiny articles in daily newspapers.
The international conventions about providing access to information concerning
environment protection (the Aarhus process) have been completely ignored.
No information whatsoever can be obtained from the Ministry of Economics
or any other Government agency.
There were no comments from the Ministry of Environmental Conservation
and Urban Development, the institution that is in charge of issuing an
approval of the study about environmental impact of dam’s construction
and the consequences that flooding Europe’s two most beautiful canyons
would provoke. The Durmitor Mountain massive is formed, connected and
divided by seven big canyons: Tara river canyon and canyons of Piva, Komarnica,
Grabovica, Dragi { nica, Draga and Su { ica rivers and also Bukovica,
Tu { inja, Bijela and [ avnik rivers. It is beyond any doubt that this
area will become the main target of energy producing lobby’s attack and
destruction. If they cross the line of destroying the Tara canyon, nothing
can stop them.
It is a lie to claim that Montenegro will profit from the construction
of the dam. There will be no profit at all. Those who think it is better
to use electrical energy that is produced in Montenegro should know it
would not be cheaper than energy imported from Bulgaria; it will have
the same market price as everywhere in Europe and the Balkans. The hydroelectric
plant will belong for a period of 30+20 years to those who invested in
its construction and the power will be sold at prices determined by the
owner.
 In
some 30 years pass, all the machinery at the dam will have to be replaced,
which will cost as much as a new dam, and Montenegro will have to pay
for foreign electrical power at foreign prices, at the cost of Montenegro’s
water and mutilated natural heritage.
There are other reasons against the construction of the dam and “drowning”
of Tara, Piva and Sutjeska rivers. In the Proposal of Energy Efficiency
Strategy for Montenegro there is a fact that Montenegro’s energetic system
has a 30 % reserve. The damages to the very energetic system through negative
effects on the existing Piva hydroelectricl dam would be immense. There
are other, much better ideas for tapping the energetic potential of Piva
and Tara rivers. The renewable energy resources are being ignored and
society’s creative energy is being given an uncreative and non-productive
direction. Other watersheds exist, as well as a project for the second
phase of Pljevlja thermoelectric power plant which would paradoxally even
solve many of Pljevlja’s environmental problems. The project of “Buk Bijela”
hydroelectric power dam gives way to energetic lobby’s irrational behaviour.
“Turbid flows the Tara river, rocks and boulders tumble down it” (from
the epic folk song “Marriage of King Vukašin”). The quantity of silt and
other material that Tara carries would make the water grey, dirty and
ugly, making impossible any mention of beauty, and destroying every perspective
of tourism, ecotourism, village tourism, rafting or any similar activity
in this region. In 50 years, when torrents fill the hydroelectric plant’s
accumulation lake with eroded material, the dam would be destroyed, leaving
behind a hellish wasteland.
The people would leave the place long before that.
This would be the closure to the deterioration of the whole region because
Tara is the main artery that unites its ecosystems. Any disturbance would
ruin any chances of sustainable development and would serve as an introduction
for exploiting the natural resources in the fashion of South America’s
poorest countries. The negative advertising effects for an “environmentally
conscious state” that destroyed the most beautiful river it had cannot
be imagined.
Let us recall 1974, when another invasion of Tara was stopped by placing
a ban on the emission of waste waters of Brskovo zinc and lead plant from
Mojkovac into Tara. At the same time construction of hydroelectric power
dam at Tara was stopped. Were the people who achieved this conscious of
the importance of their deed? We can’t tell. But we can say that the feeling
for truth has overcome the blunt enterpreneur spirit and fake promises
of better future. Only now can we understand the good those honourable
people achieved when the death sentence for Tara was cancelled. They were
optimistic, claiming that in the next 50 years there will be new energy
sources; we claim the same, because they really exist.
Tara is globally renowned as scientific relic and a natural attraction
that can bring more money than 20 hydroelectric dams. We will be left
without unrepeatable places that succeeded in conserving their unique
wildlife for thousands of years. One part of the canyon shelters a globally
important insect refuge and remains mostly unexplored. There are many
other relict plant and animal species that still haven’t been discovered
and investigated. There is some natural law that preserved the relict
species in the canyon. The submersion of the canyon would lead to a complete
change of its microclimate and a violent change of its ecosystems.
It is difficult to paint in words, picture or verse the immensity of the
sight the canyon offers – it is something that must be seen, felt and
lived. One is usually left speachless by the sight. “But I have never
yet seen a man or woman that expected to see anything like it”. There
are 1097 from the top of Curovac view point to the bottom of the canyon,
the neighbouring Veliki Štuoc peak towering 1572 over the river.
“From its steep sides appears the magnificent view of the horrors of eternal
destruction and eternal drama of geological history… The unmeasurable
duration of these processes will be felt even stronger by those who investigate
them through the gigantic proportions of natural creation…
One approaches the edge with caution and excitement, timidly glancing
down into the steep and awesome abyss with a winding emerald-coloured
river barely visible at its bottom. From this distance Tara neither sounds
nor looks wild, flowing gracefully through a zigzag of rocks and precipices
overgrown with woods.
It is only natural that the river should catch your eye, being the creator
of this sight and an indirect cause of your delight. Assuming that he
has the necessary knowledge of historical geology, the spectator could
read much from the canyon walls, and the story would be interesting and
breathtakingly exciting. Therefore it is not enough merely to observe
the canyon, you must also understand it. From its edge the man can only
speculate that a great drama has happened here, but he can not easily
see and fathom the duration of geological formation of Earth’s crust and
life on Earth. Therefore he must come to the canyon’s bottom, to the very
river, and study the rocks. But even if he does not have the appropriate
knowledge, that would not prevent him from admiring the natural beauty
of the canyon.” 
We are beginning a campaign to raise money for the ransom of the life
of Tara river, and let the international organizations then manage the
canyon for the wellbeing of everyone in this world.
We call upon all individuals, organizations and institutions to protect
our planet on Tara river by protecting Tara river all around the planet.
What shall we do without Tara, what shall we do without our soul?
Let power plants produce electrical energy, leaving Tara to be the energy
of our souls.
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