Are bats blind and do they really get stuck in our hair? What’s the most venomous snake in Europe, the one that never attacks first? Why is the magpie believed to be among the most intelligent of birds? Can we use sea sponges for bathing? Do orchids exist only in flower shops, or can these beauties grow in the wild?
If you want to know the answers to these questions, we invite you to join our online educational campaign named “I am also with you”. As part of the campaign, this year we have introduced 62 urban species on the www.biodiverzitet.me website. These species are our neighbours and live in our midst, adapting to new living conditions such as excessive construction, increase in harmful exhaust gases, and river and sea pollution. Despite these difficult conditions, they are an essential element in the preservation of biodiversity in our towns and cities, which is why, this autumn, we have decided to dedicate our traditional eco-campaign to them.
“I am also with you”, say these plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and marine species. We have presented them at www.biodiverzitet.me using texts, photos, and illustrations, in a lively and interactive way.
A quiz and a colouring book for the youngest
After checking out the content we have prepared for you, we invite you to test your newly-acquired knowledge with a quiz, and win a bike, binoculars or a selection of nature-inspired products. In addition to the quiz, we have also prepared colouring books for the youngest, so that children can get to know these “city slickers” better.
Preserving biodiversity as one of the EU’s priorities
We started the “I am also with you” campaign last year, with the introduction of 54 protected plant and animal species. Our objective was to help the public get to know and protect them better. We were inspired by the European Green Deal, which is the EU’s growth strategy for sustainable development in the 21st century, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The European Union has also put forward the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, by which Montenegro and other countries of the region committed themselves to implement measures to combat climate change, tackle pollution and ensure clean energy, biodiversity development, sustainable mobility, circular economy and sustainable food production systems.
We are running this campaign in collaboration with our partners: the Environmental Protection Agency, Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor, and NGOs Centre for the Protection and Research of Birds, and the Montenegrin Ecologists Society.