Velika plaža and Ada Bojana form a rare and delicate ecosystem shaped by the dynamic interplay of river and sea. This meeting point of natural forces has, over millennia, created a vibrant, everchanging landscape of sand, flora, and wildlife.
Velika plaža is not just a stretch of coastline; it is a living system, continuously shaped by the sediment carried by the Bojana River and redistributed by coastal currents and winds.
The balance of this ecosystem, however, has been significantly disturbed. The construction of dams on the Drim River in Albania in the early 20th century drastically reduced the natural flow of sediment to the Montenegrin coast. As a result, the only remaining sediment supply comes from marine currents a supply that is insufficient, especially in the face of strong winter storms, which are accelerating coastal erosion.
In the past 50 years alone, Ada Bojana has lost around 40 hectares of beach equivalent to about 56 football fields. The eastern part of Velika plaža has suffered similarly. Unlike artificially maintained coastlines such as Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach, which are engineered and stabilized with imported sand and decorative vegetation, Velika plaža is organic, dynamic, and deeply connected
to its natural cycles.
It is not an architectural project but a breathing, evolving landscape. Where man-made beaches are costly to maintain and lack true ecological value, Velika plaža holds generations of natural wisdom, sculpted by water, wind, and time. Its unique rhythm, vulnerability, and natural authenticity are what make it irreplaceable.
Velika plaža is more than a place it’s a testament to the quiet power of nature. Its vulnerability is what makes it so special, and its rhythm, which we often overlook, is the heartbeat of an entire ecosystem. Unlike artificial beaches built to impress, Velika plaža was never meant to be conquered or controlled only respected.
Once lost, it cannot be rebuilt, only remembered. That’s why protecting it isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a responsibility. Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is leave nature alone to breathe, to change, to live.
Written by our correspondent A.A.
