MonteAqua – AdriBioPro2019 | Radoje Laušević

From 7 to 10 April 2019, Kotor hosted the International Conference: Adriatic Biodiversity Protection – AdriBioPro2019. The event connected scientific research, conservation practice and policy discussions within the MonteAqua project.

I served as Chair of the Organizing Committee and Secretary of the Scientific Committee, alongside my responsibilities as MonteAqua Project Manager. These roles brought together the organisational and scientific coordination dimensions of my work, supporting a programme designed to strengthen cooperation across the Adriatic region.

The conference welcomed more than 100 participants from 16 countries to the Cultural Centre “Nikola Đurković”. Two days of scientific sessions formed the core of a four-day programme combining presentations, public engagement and opportunities for professional exchange.

Conference contributions involved 158 authors and 92 presentations across nine thematic areas. Topics ranged from marine and freshwater biodiversity conservation to protected areas, pollution prevention, endangered and invasive species, aquariums, sustainable resource use and marine biotechnology.

The infographic below brings together the programme’s scale and variety—from scientific sessions in two conference halls to an underwater photography exhibition and a cruise through Boka Kotorska Bay.

Infographic: AdriBioPro2019 at a glance: four days, 158 authors, 16 countries, 92 presentations and nine thematic areas.

Beyond the scientific programme, the exhibition “Hidden Beauty of the Sea” brought Adriatic biodiversity to a wider audience. Underwater photographers Ivana Orlović Kranjc and Janez Kranjc presented 40 large-format photographs, connecting the conference’s conservation themes with the experience of discovering marine life.

The closing-day cruise offered further opportunities for informal exchange in the coastal setting that gave the conference its immediate context. Together, the scientific and accompanying activities created space for participants to discuss shared interests and establish professional connections.

For my work on MonteAqua, AdriBioPro2019 connected the development of Aquarium Boka with a wider international network of researchers and conservation practitioners. The conference extended the project’s knowledge-exchange activities and supported dialogue on the future of Adriatic biodiversity protection.

MonteAqua was implemented by the Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, in cooperation with the University of Kragujevac, Serbia, with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Let’s make progress together.