who we are
Local Roots. Scientific Rigor. Independence.
From Grassroots Resistance to Data-Driven Futures.
Naša Buljarica is a civic initiative formed in 2025 in response to the signing of the bilateral agreement between Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the development plans of the controversial mega-investor Mohamed Alabbar.
We combine the voice of the locals with the expertise of specialists in environmental science, ecology, geography, historical and social sciences, and sustainable urban planning. We operate entirely on a volunteer and activist basis.
We draft concrete, data-driven plans for the future of our region. To bring these visions to life, we are gradually professionalizing our organizational structure to raise international grant funding and donations for our planned community projects.
How we work
Facts Instead of Rumors: In collaboration with specialized organizations (such as MES, CZIP), we conduct ecological research on Buljarica’s environment. Our arguments rely strictly on scientific data and legal frameworks.
Empowerment & Self–Help: We inform local property owners about spatial planning processes and their legal rights. We demonstrate how families can utilize and protect their land themselves, rather than surrendering it below market value.
- Independent and Transparent: We accept no buyouts or influence from political or financial interest groups. Our work solely serves the well-being of the community and the preservation of our natural environment.
local experts
Tamara Gajić
Co-founder & Historian
My roots lie in the ancient olive groves of this magical bay. Having grown up in Germany, I feel an even stronger connection to this place, whose beauty is so vulnerable in the face of the global climate crisis. Life here has always existed in harmony with nature. That is why its future lies in becoming a sustainable village. A place where people and nature can truly thrive together.
Senka Gregović
Local Entrepreneur & Creator of Wild-Orange
If Buljarica has to be developed, I hope it happens alongside nature, not against it. Imagine small eco-cabins raised above the marshland, surrounded by restored canals that you navigate by boat or kayak, leaving the delicate ecosystem untouched. Buljarica could show the world that tourism and nature conservation don’t have to be at odds.
Marijana Lemm
Founder of Tara Retreats
I see Buljarica’s future as an ecology playground a living space, where nature isn’t fenced off from people, but where community is part of the ecosystem itself, learning from it, protecting it, and growing alongside it.
Jelena Popović
Biologist & Ecologist at the Montenegrin Ecologists Society
For several years, I have been working to help more people discover the natural values of Buljarica, while also developing a better understanding of what this place means to the people who live and spend their time there. I believe that Buljarica’s future should not be seen as a choice between nature and development, but as an opportunity to imagine a form of development that begins with understanding the place itself, its ecosystems, people, history, and everything that makes Buljarica unique and one of the most valuable wetland areas on the Adriatic coast.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS
Dr. Helmut Röscheisen
EMAS Environmental Verifier Assessor & BUND Board Member
What drives me is the wish to support a vibrant future for the Western Balkan states, especially Montenegro and its neighbouring countries. Out of deep conviction, I am dedicated to preserving our exceptional biodiversity as the basis for sustainable development and to establishing Buljarica as a marine national park.
Volunteers
Lily Bognuda
Ecological Filmmaker
The living patchwork that is Buljarica has looked after me in more ways than I can put into words, and I truly believe that if this vital ecosystem is protected and supported, it can become an example of the thriving coexistence between humans, culture, and wilderness that our world desperately needs.
Yamuna Savini
Illustrator & Artist
If i close my eyes, i land back in the smell of salt air listening to the symphony of frog calls pulsing through Buljarica marshland. It is an infectious strength hearing a melody shared by so many, i feel this again now as we learn how our actions can love our ecosystems back to health.
Pavlína Gunárová
Social Media Graphicsrator & Artist
Living ecosystems belong to all of us, no matter where we live.