the mouths of Kotor overwhelmed by tourists

History has given the mouths of Kotor (Montenegro) the reputation of being impregnable, unassailable. The high limestone peaks of the Balkans are the fierce guardians of these crystal clear waters. Only, in the sky emerges a plume of smoke. A floating building enters the lair. Kotor is threatened today by those it lets in without measuring the dangers. “They destroy everything, the view, the environment. The worst is summer when it’s hot. […] You really feel the pollution they make“, laments Ivan Krivokapic, a local tourist guide and fisherman.

Threats from Unesco

The natural habitat of fish is destroyed. Fishermen all come to the same conclusion. “Before, there were a lot of fish. Now there are fewer and fewer every year“, deplores Ivan Krivokapic. A cruise ship consumes up to 150 tonnes of fuel oil per day. When stationary, it emits as many fine particles as a million cars. Here, this pollution is all the more impact that the water is not renewed, for lack of current.In the alleys of Kotor, tourists arrive by the thousands.Faced with this mass tourism, Unesco has threatened on several occasions to remove Kotor from its list.