Parks of Dinarides Network of Protected Areas

Based on the Article 23 of the Law on Non-Governmental Organizations (Official Gazette of Montenegro, number 39/11), the Constituent Assembly of the Parks of Dinarides – network of the protected area of Dinarides, at its session held on 5 December 2014, adopted

STATUTE

PARKS OF DINARIDES – NETWORK OF PROTECTED AREAS

Preamble

The initiative on forming the regional alliance of the protected areas on the territory of countries of the Dinaric Arc is one of the resluts which came from the project „Dinaric Arc Parks“. The project was implemented by WWF. Also, in December 2013, the countries of the Dinaric Arc signed in Budva (Montenegro) Big Win II, which represents a continuation of the previous Big Win agreement which was reached in 2008, at the Nineth CBD Conference in Bonn (Germany). By the official adoption of the document in Budva, on 2 December 2013, the signatory countries and their line ministries comitted to work jointly on the strenghtening of the planning process in environment protection, as well as on the valorization of the economic value of their respective natural resources, and on the basisi of those values work on the strenghtening of the model for sustainable financing of the protected areas in the region and mutual work on the total improvement of the protected areas in the region of the Dinaric Arc.

This document was signed, with the mediation of WWF and IUCN, by the ministers and representatives of the ministries in charge for the protection of environment of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.

Article 1 – Name and Seat

Organization Park of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides is a voluntary non-profit organization with membership which is established by the domestic and foreign legal persons, for the purpose of achieving mutual or general aims and interests.

The Organization serves exclusively for voluntary purposes and aimes and its funds can be used only for the purposes prescribed by the Statute.

The members do not get grants from the funds of the Organization and they do not have the right to participate in the assets of the Organization.

The Seat of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides is in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The Seat can be changed only by the decision of the General Assembly of the Parks of the Dinarides - network of the protected areas of the Dinarides.

Article 2 – Seal and Stamp

Organization Park of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides has the steal and the stamp.

The stamp has a round shape and 30 mm diameter, with impressed name “Parks of the Dinarides“, the Seat of the Organization and stylized deawing of the bear.

The seal has a rectangular shape, which in addition to the Name and Seat contains, a mark for number, day, month and year.

Article 3 – Vision

The Park of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides aims to state and realize by means of its action the common interest in the improvement of the protection of environment and sustainable development and to improve the cooperation between the protected areas of the Dinaric Arch countries. This cooperation primarily relates to improvement of cultural and natural resources of the protected areas of the Dinarides, their promotion and support to the requirements of the protected areas and implementation of good practices of the sustainable development and management.

Article 4 – Aim and priority activities of the Organization

The main aim of the Parks of the Dinarides is active participation in the improvement of the protection, development and management of the protected natural resources in the territory of the countries signatories of the Big Win 2 (8 countries of the Dinaric Arch - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia).

Among the priority tasks is also the improvement of the cooperation between the protected areas and local self-governments, as well as stakeholders associations in terms of fulfilment of their tasks which are related to the protection of environment and sustainable development.

The Organization Parks of the Dinarides - network of the protected areas especially supports:

• The policy aimed at improvement and development of the protected areas
• Improvement of the mutual communication of the members of the Organization
• Coordiantion of the international and national projects

The priority activities of the Parks of the Dinarides - network of the protected areas of the Dinarides are streamlined primarily at the five thematic fields:

A)Protection of the biodiversity and development of the protected areas of the Dinarides

The Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides supports the activities of the Dinaric protected areas and their regions on the protection and improvement of the components of the biological diversity in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and their mutual connection through the establishment of the ecological network of the cross-border protected areas.

The Parks of the Dinarides should also strengthen cooperation with the aim of improvement of protection and management of the species and habitats and implementation of the networks Natura 2000 and Emerald.

B)Sustainable regional development and quality of life

In cooperation with the local stakeholders associations, the Organization Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides supports the activities of the sustainable regional development in the inhabited protected areas and in peripheral, uninhabited protected areas. This especially involves the activities in respect of the improvement of quality of life.

The Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides will pay special attention to the development of sustainable forms of tourism, promotion of ecological building, usage of renewable energy sources, with the aid of specific projects which will contribute to the decrease and adaptation to the climate changes.

C)Cooperation with the international institutions

The Organization Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides needs to spur the cooperation with the relevant international organizations with the aim to improve the protection of the nature and balanced regional development.

D)Ecological awareness for sustainable development

The Parks of the Dinarides - network of protected areas of the Dinarides suggests and implements the activities which involve different interest groups, wide public, population and tourists, and which have the following aims:

• Exchange of information and data, as well as technical and scientific exchange among the members
• Support to the creation of wide public awareness and active participation of the local population in the nature protection and sustainable development,
• production and dissemination of publications
• organization of events aiming at promotion, education and other activities related to the organization

E)Branding of the protected Dinaric areas

• Creation of the mutual identity of the protected areas of the region as a unique and region renowned in world as eco-region.
• Promotion of the values and offers of the protected areas of the region
• Strengthening of the capacities which contribute the improvement of mutual promotion

Article 5 – Manner of achieving publicity of work

Publicity of work of the Parks of the Dinarides - network of the protected areas of the Dinarides is achieved by means of press releases, by publishing information through the official website and by other means of information dissemination.

Article 6 – Duration

The duration of the activities of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides is not limited in terms of time.

Article 7 – Membership

Member of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides can become any protected natural resource from the region of the Dinaric Arch, which fulfils the following requirements:

a)To have a status of the legal person;

b)To have an active management structure;

Written request for membership with which are also filed evidence on the fulfilment of requirements referred to in the paragraph 1 of this Article items a and, is submitted to the President of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides.

Steering committee at its first meeting from the day of reception of the request for membership makes a decision on the approval of membership or by means of a decisionrefuses the request for membership.

Member of the Park of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas is obliged to pay the annual membership fee immediately after obtaining the membership.

Article 8 – Membership fee

The membership fee is paid each calendar year. The amount of the annual membership fee for each category is determined by the General Assembly by means of voting at the proposal of the Steering Committee.

Article 9 – Members of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides

Members of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides are the protected natural resources which have status of the legal person and active management structure, and their membership is defined through the following categories:

9.1. Regular members with the voting right

GROUP A – NATIONAL PARKS

GROUP B – REGIONAL AND NATURE PARKS

GROUP C – OTHER FORMS OF PROTECTED NATURAL RESOURCES

9.2. The founders of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides (legal and natural persons)

9.3. Honorary members without the voting right

Article 10 –Bodies of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides

The Parks of the Dinarides - network of the protected areas have the following bodies: General Assembly, Steering Committee, President and Secretariat.

Article 11 – General Assembly

It consists of the members with the fulfilled statutory obligations. The Assembly can be attended also by the observers without the voting right. The President of the General Assembly which is elected by the Assembly for the period of three calendar yearschairs the General Assembly. In the case of his absence or temporary inability, one of the two vice Presidents of the General Assembly replaces him. The first President of the General Assembly is elected on the proposal of the Working group in charge for the establishment of the Parks of the Dinarides, which was formed by the implementation of the project “Parks of the Dinaric Arch”.

11.1. Powers

General Assembly is a regular decision making body of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides. The General Assembly:

-Adopts the Statute of the Organization

-Elects and suspends person authorised for representation, Steering Committee and other bodies

-Determines strategic priorities of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides

-Confirms the work of the Steering Committee

-Adopts the Three-year Work Plan

-Adopts the Work Programme for the coming and Report on work for the previous calendar year

-Adopts the Annual Financial Plan

-Adopts the Annual Financial Report

-Confirms, when necessary, Rules of Procedure, as well as all of its future amendments

-Determines the amount of membership fees

-Decides on the change of the objective, termination of work and distribution of the remaining assets of the association

-Deals with all the issues which aren’t statutory under the competence of some other body of the Parks of the Dinarides - network of protected areas of the Dinarides.

11.2. Convening

The Assembly is convened once in a year.

Assembly session lasts one day.

The convening of the General Assembly is carried out on the initiative of the President of the Assembly, or upon the request of at least one third of its members.

Place, date and duration of the session are determined by the President of the Assembly, with the previous consultations with the Steering Committee. The General Assembly may take place in any country from which the founders of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides come.

The President provides the notification to the members of the General Assembly in which the date, duration and place of the session at least sixteen weeks (16) before the beginning of the session.

The notification on the session is sent via e-mail with the receipt confirmation and it is published on the website of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides.

Material for the General Assembly is submitted at least four (4) weeks before the beginning of the session.

If there is no quorum for adoption of decisions, the next session may be convened again after at least four (4) weeks.

11.3. Voting right

All members have right to attend the General Assembly.

Each organization appoints by itself the persons who represent it and submit their names to the Secretariat and to the President of the General Assembly two (2) weeks before the General Assembly session.

The voting right belongs only to those members who have paid the membership fee until the day of the session.

The transfer of the right to vote to another member is possible. Member of the organization which attends the General Assembly can by means of the transfer of authorisation to represent only one more member of the organisation from the same member country, and who is not present at the General Assembly.

11.4. Quorum

For valid decision at the General Assembly session needs to be present or represented at least one third of the members with the voting right, who have paid the membership fee.

In the event when there is no quorum, within eight weeks a new session of the General Assembly is convened. At that repeated session it has a quorum for adoption of decision, irrespective of the number of present or represented members with the voting right who have paid the membership fee.

11.5. Agenda

Proposal of the Agenda of the general Assembly is proposed by the Steering Committee and confirmed by the President of the General Assembly at the beginning of the session. The proposal of the Agenda is sent at least four weeks before the Assembly.

11.6. Voting

The General Assembly strives to adopt decisions by consensus.

Members with the voting right vote by raising the hand. At the request of one of the members and upon the decision of the President, the voting can be in written form.

The decisions are adopted by a simple majority, which means half of the votes of those who have voted plus one vote. In the case of the same number of votes, decides the vote of the President of the Assembly.

11.7. Languages

Working languages of the General Assembly are the official languages of the founding countries of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of the protected areas of the Dinarides. Working materials for the General Assembly are delivered in the official language of the member countries, and/or are delivered, when necessary, in English language.

The President of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides (especially in the case of limited budget funds), may decide on different language approach.

11.8. Minutes and decisions

The President of theAssemblysends the minutes to the participants of the General Assembly within four weeks from the date of the session.

The General Assembly at the beginning of the session confirms the minutes from the previous session.

The decisions of the General Assembly are adopted in accordance with Article 11.6. of the Statute and enter into force on the day of adoption of the Decision.

11.9. Expenses

Each member of the organization bears their own expenses of participation at the session of the General Assembly.

Article 12 – Extraordinary General Assembly

12.1. Tasks

Its tasks are to decide on amendments to the Statute of the Parks of the Dinarides – network of protected areas of the Dinarides, its disbanding and transfer of values.

12.2. Convening

Convening and delivering of materials is performed in the same manner as it is determined for the session of general Assembly (Article 11.2), with the possibility to shorten the deadline for convening to four weeks before the beginning of the session, if this is necessary due specific circumstances.

12.3. Quorum

For valid adoption of decision at the session of the Extraordinary General Assembly at least half of the members with the voting right who have paid the membership fee must be present.

12.4. Agenda

The Agenda is determined in the same manner as it is determined for the regular General Assembly (Article 11.5).

The Agenda is delivered to the members at least four weeks before the session of the Extraordinary General Assembly.

12.5. Voting

The decisions are adopted by the simple majority, which means half of the votes of those who have voted plus one vote. In the event of the same number of votes, vote of the President of the Assembly decides.

12.6. Minutes

The same rules apply as for the regular General assembly (Article 11.8)