ON THE FORMATION OF TOURIST AND RECREATION CLUSTERS IN THE CONDITIONS OF HISTORICAL AND NATURAL RESERVES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF LAKE SKADAR IN MONTENEGRO)

Lake Skadar in Montenegro is a unique natural resource that combines a favorable climate, good geographical position, diverse flora and fauna, numerous cultural and historical monuments located throughout the basin. This valuable natural resource is a new and undeveloped tourist niche in Montenegro. It requires a special approach, taking into account the socio-cultural environment and the principles of sustainable development. The cluster approach is one of the outstanding ways of organizing and structuring in tourism. Consequently, the possibility of creating tourist and recreational clusters on the territory of the Lake Skadar reserve in Montenegro is considered as a new multicomponent structure integrated into the national and local strategic planning frameworks, increasing the viability of tourism activities and providing a synergistic effect on tourism and related services. An analysis is carried out to determine the main components of tourist and recreational clusters necessary for the transition from the development of individual territories with a tourist potential to the sustainable development of the territory of Lake Skadar, creating a synergistic effect. The analysis confirmed the need for a strategic and systematic approach in the sustainable development of Lake Skadar and the use of its potentials, as well as the relevance of the cluster approach in the development of recreation and travel. Also, the study carried out confirmed that the lake should be considered as a whole and that tourism and recreation clusters represent the most efficient and flexible structures that will benefit both nature and the visitor.

Are there one or two stocks of Scoranza bleak - Alburnus scoranza Bonaparte, 1845 in Lake Skadar (Montenegro)

This paper provides the first comprehensive information on the Length-Weight Relationship (LWR) of Scoranza bleak (Alburnus scoranza) from the Lake Skadar. The results of the study showed that LWR was different in young and older individual fish. We concluded that no single regression would adequately describe the length-weight relationship for Scoranza bleak in the winter period. Small fish, up to one year old, have positive allometric growth whereas older and larger, negative. The results of this study show that the animals grow equally in the same pattern in both localities (Raduš and Karuč) which shows that there are no two stocks as it was assumed in the past. The condition factor in young Scoranza bleaks was lower than in the elderly. Condition factor decreased significantly during the winter period in older specimens. Based on this, we conclude that Scoranza bleak during the winter is poorly fed/starved, which causes a decrease in the condition factor.Analysis of the total sample, of any species, cannot show by what rule the population grows, if infrapopulation variability is present, because the studied value will depend on the number of individual subgroups. If no infra-population variability is found, the required parameter for the entire population can be calculated. In order to determine population variability, multiple groups must be singled out. Preferably, the number of stratified samples should be at least 6 so that correlation-regression analysis can be performed. In stratified samples, the number of individuals should be between 30-40, for any parameter, in order to compare their mean values. The results of the study show that 50 individuals are sufficient for accurate determination of LWR (or ???? and b, ???? is a constant coefficient and b is the slope of the curve.), when it is determined that there is no intrapopulation variability.

DNA barcoding reveals an unknown Chironomidae diversity from the freshwater biodiversity hot-spot: comparison between local and the European datasets

In the present study, we developed and evaluated the first reference barcode library for non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) as flagship taxa of freshwater ecology from Skadar Lake system (Montenegro and Albania), a well-known hotspot of freshwater biodiversity composed by the young lake Skadar (originated 1200 before present) and by its old system of springs (originated during Pliocene). Using an expanded reference library and records deposited in Barcode of Life Database (BOLD), we estimated DNA barcoding efficiency for the European Chironomidae. Study provides COI barcodes for 770 Chironomidae individuals assigned, based on morphology, to 77 species collected in the Skadar Lake basin. Molecular analyses assigned sequences to 100 BINs and 104 OTUs (all records from this area are new for online repositories) and confirms the usefulness of DNA barcoding for the identification of non-biting midges. Additionally, we explored chironomid species distribution patterns in Europe using universal Barcode Index Number (BIN) with a discussion of problematic species groups, both for traditional taxonomy and DNA barcoding. The results of our study provide the first insight into the factual chironomid species diversity of the Lake Skadar basin, in comparison with chironomid fauna at the European scale. The results fill a significant gap in knowledge of biodiversity in the Balkan region. Based on the results of Chironomidae fauna investigation, we conclude that the Skadar Lake basin is now well sampled and such a high representation of species from various sampling sites provides reliable estimation of the non-biting midges fauna.

PRINCIPLES FOR FORMING NEW TYPES OF ACCOMMODATION FOR TOURISTS ON THE TERRITORY OF LAKE SKADAR IN MONTENEGRO

Skadar Lake, located in Montenegro, is a valuable natural resource that combines a favorable climate, unique flora and fauna, as well as numerous cultural and historical monuments located throughout the basin of Lake Skadar. The geographical position and rich historical heritage are excellent background for the further cultural, educational and tourist-recreational development of Lake Skadar. Currently, the accommodation for tourists is private houses that have met the needs of tourists for many years, but for future development, new types of accommodation are needed. Studies that have been carried out in Montenegro for ten years indicate a constant increase in the number of visitors to the Skadar Lake reserve, as well as possible environmental threats caused by the lack of appropriate infrastructure and improvement. It follows that the thoughtful accommodation of tourists on the territory of Lake Skadar is one of the most important priorities in the strategy for the future development of Lake Skadar. This article analyzes the existing types of accommodation for tourists on Lake Skadar in order to determine the basic principles in accordance with which new types of accommodation for tourists should be developed.

Pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds: Accumulation in the tissue of Skadar lake fish

Determining the presence of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds in fish tissues has been carried out in Montenegro for the first time in Moraca river and Skadar lake. Skadar lake, Montenegro, is the largest of the Balkan lakes and has a surface area which fluctuates seasonally from approximately 370 to 600 km2. During the spring time of 2016, in the time of high water levels of the lake, fish were fetched in triplets and identified. Determining the presence of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds in fish tissues has been carried out in Montenegro for the first time. Their muscle tissue was separated, grinded, feezed, and then lyophilized. Prepared samples were analyzed with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry to determine the presence of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds. Obtained results are under the border of detection, out of 38 tested distributes, only the tissue of Alburnus scoranza showed the presence of triclosan.

The impact of wildfires on the Lake Skadar/Shkodra environment

Every year wildfires bring damages to the environment of Montenegro, and, in particular, to the Lake Skadar/Shkodra environment. Wildfires are caused by dry and hot weather which is established yearly from July to September, and is likely linked to the regional climate change. In this study we used high resolution optical imagery (OLI Landsat-8 and MSI Sentinel-2A, -2B) to analyze concentrations of suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll-a in Lakes Skadar/Shkodra and Šas in order to understand the potential impact of wildfires on the lake ecosystem. The surface of burnt areas was calculated for different regions around Lakes Skadar/Shkodra and Šas. Our data showed that SPM values in lake water increase during wildfire. The highest SPM value was observed in the area around the mouth of the left branch of River Morača where the largest areas affected by fires were observed. The SPM concentration in water of Lakes Skadar/Shkodra and Šas generally decreased after rainstorms. The need for implementation of a comprehensive fire management program that includes monitoring of impact of fires on aquatic ecosystems and their biota is emphasized.