Last update
2026
Summary
The Šavnik Flood Resilience Strategy Project seeks to strengthen community resilience and protect ecosystems in Montenegro’s Komarnica catchment, a nationally significant river system that flows through the Komarnica and Dragišnica Nature Parks. Triggered by the severe floods of October 2024, the project addresses both the urgent need for flood risk reduction and the long-term safeguarding of natural assets.
Its objectives are to co-develop a participatory sponge strategy and action plan that integrates hydrological, soil and GIS assessments with community knowledge. Within this framework, some of pilot nature-based solutions, which can be (bioswales, reforestation measures, and wetland revitalization)—will be tested in the Komarnica valley and formally embedded in Šavnik’s Local Protection and Rescue Plan, ensuring institutional uptake and continuity beyond the project.
As a Translating Region within SpongeWorks, Šavnik will adapt lessons learned from the Lèze demonstrator to the context of a small mountainous municipality. By doing so, the project will generate fresh datasets, refine co-design and multi-actor engagement practices, and deliver replicable examples of sponge strategies in protected landscapes.
The expected impact extends beyond local benefits: reduced flood risks, improved soil and water retention, and enhanced biodiversity. At the same time, the initiative contributes directly to the goals of the EU Missions on Climate Adaptation, Soil Health, and Water Restoration, showcasing how locally anchored, nature-based actions can advance European priorities. By combining technical analysis, stakeholder participation, and tangible pilot implementation, the project aims to serve as a scalable model for other vulnerable and ecologically valuable regions across Western Balkans and broader.
Its objectives are to co-develop a participatory sponge strategy and action plan that integrates hydrological, soil and GIS assessments with community knowledge. Within this framework, some of pilot nature-based solutions, which can be (bioswales, reforestation measures, and wetland revitalization)—will be tested in the Komarnica valley and formally embedded in Šavnik’s Local Protection and Rescue Plan, ensuring institutional uptake and continuity beyond the project.
As a Translating Region within SpongeWorks, Šavnik will adapt lessons learned from the Lèze demonstrator to the context of a small mountainous municipality. By doing so, the project will generate fresh datasets, refine co-design and multi-actor engagement practices, and deliver replicable examples of sponge strategies in protected landscapes.
The expected impact extends beyond local benefits: reduced flood risks, improved soil and water retention, and enhanced biodiversity. At the same time, the initiative contributes directly to the goals of the EU Missions on Climate Adaptation, Soil Health, and Water Restoration, showcasing how locally anchored, nature-based actions can advance European priorities. By combining technical analysis, stakeholder participation, and tangible pilot implementation, the project aims to serve as a scalable model for other vulnerable and ecologically valuable regions across Western Balkans and broader.
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Location of the project
The municpality of Šavnik is a northern town of Montenegro. Šavnik is a small rural municipality with strong ties to its landscape and a community-oriented governance structure. The community has a high flood risk due to natural terrain and legacy of unsustainable land use (e.g., deforestation, poor riverbed maintenance).
Šavnik
The Municipality of Šavnik has been increasingly exposed to frequent and intense flooding events, the most severe of which occurred in October 2024 when the Komarnica River overflowed and caused significant damage to local infrastructure and agricultural land. Climate change is expected to further amplify these risks, while existing protective infrastructure remains insufficient to ensure long-term community resilience.
The Komarnica River belongs to the Black Sea basin and originates from a series of intermittent and permanent springs on the southern slopes of Durmitor. The catchment area of the Komarnica River is 367 km². The average multi-year discharge of the Komarnica at the Duži gauging station is about 16.5 m³/s, the average minimum discharge is 1.05 m³/s, while the average maximum discharge is 521 m³/s.
Šavnik
The Municipality of Šavnik has been increasingly exposed to frequent and intense flooding events, the most severe of which occurred in October 2024 when the Komarnica River overflowed and caused significant damage to local infrastructure and agricultural land. Climate change is expected to further amplify these risks, while existing protective infrastructure remains insufficient to ensure long-term community resilience.
The Komarnica River belongs to the Black Sea basin and originates from a series of intermittent and permanent springs on the southern slopes of Durmitor. The catchment area of the Komarnica River is 367 km². The average multi-year discharge of the Komarnica at the Duži gauging station is about 16.5 m³/s, the average minimum discharge is 1.05 m³/s, while the average maximum discharge is 521 m³/s.
Project's objectives
The Project aims to design and implement an action plan of sponge measures to increase soil water retention capacity and reduce flood risks in Šavnik, with Komarnica as the central pilot site. The specific objectives are to:
• Conduct geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological, pedological and hydrological reconnaissance of the terrain and develop a proposal of measures applicable to the floodplain area.
• produce GIS maps of critical flood-prone zones combined based on the results obtained during the terrain reconnaissance select and test NBS measures at the Komarnica pilot site (e.g., bioswales, reforestation, revitalization of wetlands),
• engage local stakeholders and institutions through a participatory planning process, ensuring alignment with local land-use policies and conservation regulations,
• establish a monitoring and evaluation model that can guide the replication and scaling of measures across the municipality and other river basins of national significance.
• Conduct geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological, pedological and hydrological reconnaissance of the terrain and develop a proposal of measures applicable to the floodplain area.
• produce GIS maps of critical flood-prone zones combined based on the results obtained during the terrain reconnaissance select and test NBS measures at the Komarnica pilot site (e.g., bioswales, reforestation, revitalization of wetlands),
• engage local stakeholders and institutions through a participatory planning process, ensuring alignment with local land-use policies and conservation regulations,
• establish a monitoring and evaluation model that can guide the replication and scaling of measures across the municipality and other river basins of national significance.
Involved Partners
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Financing authorities
Community involvment
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Design consultation activity
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Policy target
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Policy pressure
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Policy impact
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Requirement directive
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Contractual arrangements
0
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Part of wider plan
0
Wider plan type
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Success factor(s)
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Driver
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Transferability
The Komarnica pilot will serve as a model for other vulnerable river basins in Montenegro and contribute to the European SpongeWorks knowledge base.
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