The final conference of the project “Protection observatory for regional area of medicinal plants as lively cross-border infrastructure of sustainable tourism – PORALIST” was held on 30 December 2020. Due to the unstable epidemiological situation and compliance with safety measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, the conference was held electronically.
Regional Development Agency Zlatibor from Uzice, Institute for the Study of Medicinal Plants “Dr. Josif Pančić ”from Belgrade and the NGO Multimedial Montenegro from Bijelo Polje as partners in the past 24 months worked on the implementation of project activities with the aim to establish sustainable use and protection of medicinal plants as a common and natural resource, with invaluable and renewable potential for the economic well-being of both cross-border local communities of the municipalities of Prijepolje and Bijelo Polje.
The conference gave a brief overview of the implemented project activities and the outcomes that were reached by the joint work of project partners. The most important outcome is the modern online observatory for continuous monitoring and monitoring of the distribution of mapped medicinal plant species in the municipalities of Prijepolje and Bijelo Polje.
Part of the conference was dedicated to the presentation of the Action Plan for the Protection and Preservation of Biodiversity of the municipalities of Prijepolje and Bijelo Polje, which was created as a result of the work of the inter-municipal working group formed within the PORALIST project. The action plan is the starting point for sustainable use and preservation of medicinal plants for generations to come, and on the other hand the obligation of local governments to take care of natural resources in their territories, as well as to work to protect biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem.