Published: 25.09.2026. · ISO 14001

Montenegro's new Nature Protection Law 2026: what businesses and investors should check

Publisher: ConsultHQ

Nature Protection Law 117/2026 strengthens biodiversity, the ecological network and protected areas in Montenegro, with closer links to Natura 2000.

Montenegro has applied its new Nature Protection Law (Official Gazette 117/2026) since 15 August 2026. It strengthens the framework for biodiversity, the ecological network and protected areas, and brings national rules closer to the European approach to protecting species and habitats. Investors should check a project's location and possible effects on nature early.

The law does not automatically create a new document package for every company. A business operating in an existing facility with no relevant effect on nature may have very limited direct duties. A new industrial, energy, tourism or infrastructure project close to an ecologically valuable area is a different case.

Law 117/2026 replaced the previous framework

The Nature Protection Law was published in Official Gazette 117/2026 on 7 August and entered into force on 15 August 2026. It repealed the previous Nature Protection Law.

During preparation, the Ministry described closer alignment with European biodiversity rules and the Natura 2000 network as a goal. Companies should therefore review their environmental compliance registers against the new law instead of continuing to rely on references to the 2016/2019 framework.

Natura 2000 has a larger place in the regulatory context

The law connects Montenegro's nature-protection system more clearly with Natura 2000, the European network of areas important for valuable and threatened species and habitats. Montenegro is also continuing to define its ecological network. A public consultation on proposed marine Natura 2000 areas took place in May 2026.

Location is therefore a key regulatory fact for investors. Land that appears to be an ordinary development site may be linked to an ecologically important area or habitat that calls for further review.

Natura 2000 does not automatically prohibit development

The Ministry has emphasized that Natura 2000 is not intended as a blanket prohibition on using land. It is a framework for combining nature protection with sustainable use and development.

Being in or near a relevant area does not by itself decide whether a project can proceed. The activity, location and likely effects need to be assessed. This regulatory screening is best done before a major investment decision is finalized.

Protected areas have a more specific protection framework

The Ministry identified clearer rules for declaring protected areas during preparation of the law. The three principal protection zones—strict, active and sustainable use—remain, while permitted activities are defined more precisely.

An investor needs more than a general statement that a site is “in a park.” The review should identify:

• the category of protected area;
• the protection zone;
• any buffer zone;
• the management plan;
• the restrictions relevant to the project.

Two projects within the same wider protected area can consequently have different regulatory positions.

Preventive protection can begin earlier

The law provides for preventive protection while an area is being considered for designation. For a development site, checking only the list of already designated protected areas may therefore be insufficient.

Investors should also check whether a new protection procedure has started or another relevant status affects the planned project. Environmental due diligence should use current information rather than relying solely on older spatial documents.

Biodiversity becomes a more concrete ISO 14001 topic where relevant

ISO 14001:2026 gives greater attention to biodiversity, natural resources, climate change and the organization's wider context. The new law is relevant to an environmental management system where activities may affect habitats, species or protected areas.

The law and ISO 14001 perform different roles. Legal requirements apply independently of certification; ISO 14001 provides a structure for identifying, assigning and managing relevant duties.

The environmental-aspects register should recognize relevant nature impacts

Some ISO 14001 organizations build their aspects register mainly around waste, water, energy, emissions and chemicals. At biodiversity-sensitive locations, relevant aspects may also include:

• habitats and protected species;
• vegetation and aquatic or marine ecosystems;
• habitat fragmentation;
• light or other disturbance to species;
• use of natural resources.

There is no reason to add every one of these topics to every company's register. The assessment should follow the actual activity and location.

Check a new project before its location is final

A nature-protection review has most value early in the investment cycle. Buying land, completing the design and fixing the technology before identifying a restriction can make changes expensive.

Before a significant investment, it is useful to check:

• existing protected areas and their protection zones;
• proposed and relevant ecological-network areas;
• sensitive habitats and species;
• the connection with any EIA procedure;
• spatial-planning restrictions;
• special nature-protection conditions.

This does not mean every project needs the same expert study. It means the regulatory position should be known before key decisions are made.

EIA and nature protection should connect, but they are different procedures

Environmental impact assessment examines a wider range of effects from a project. Nature-protection rules focus specifically on biodiversity, habitats, species and protected areas. The two frameworks can overlap for a particular project.

An EIA result should not automatically be treated as the only answer to every nature-protection question. The operator should also check requirements arising from the site's location and the status of natural assets.

Tourism projects may have particular exposure

Montenegro's tourism often relies on places of high natural value. An urban hotel and a resort on an ecologically sensitive site are not the same environmental case.

The new framework may matter particularly for new resorts, tourism complexes, marinas, coastal developments, projects near national parks or nature parks and other activities in sensitive areas. This does not make every tourism development problematic; it makes an early location-based compliance review important.

Industrial projects should consider the wider area of influence

A factory does not have to stand inside a protected area's boundary for its project to require a more detailed nature review. Effects may arise through water, emissions, traffic, wastewater, noise or other pathways.

For larger projects, the question is not only whether the plot lies within a protected area. It is also whether the activity could significantly affect a protected natural value or ecological-network area. The answer requires expert and regulatory assessment of the specific project.

Local plans and protected-area management matter

The law strengthens the roles of municipalities and protected-area managers. The Ministry highlighted annual local reporting on the state of nature and biodiversity policy, along with clearer oversight of protected-area management.

An applicable requirement may therefore be found in a local act or the management plan for a particular area as well as in national law. A useful compliance review reaches the level of the actual site.

Commercial use of certain wild species follows separate rules

A rule that entered into force in April 2026 sets conditions for collecting and using certain wild animals, plants and fungi for commercial purposes. This is a narrower topic relevant to businesses collecting or trading those natural resources.

Most ordinary ISO 14001 clients do not need to expand their management-system documents around it. Businesses using wild natural resources directly as raw materials should check the specific regime.

CITES and cross-border trade remain a separate compliance topic

Following the new law, Montenegro's Customs Administration published guidance in August 2026 on its application in the customs context. This can matter for cross-border trade in protected species and products covered by CITES or other restrictions.

It will be irrelevant to most industrial businesses, but may be significant for particular animal or plant materials, products or protected species.

Continue to track Natura 2000 after the initial investment review

Montenegro is still developing its Natura 2000 network. Public consultations and proposed-area work continued in 2026, so the regulatory map is not necessarily static.

Long-term investments, especially those developed in several phases, should revisit network status after the initial due diligence.

What companies should check now

The new law is not a reason for every company to commission a biodiversity study. The first step is to establish relevance. A company with a new project or an ecologically sensitive site should check:

• the location's current status and protection zones;
• the ecological network and Natura 2000 development;
• relevant species and habitats;
• existing EIA conditions and spatial plans;
• any applicable protected-area management plan;
• ISO 14001 environmental aspects;
• planned changes or project expansions.

Where there is no relevant effect, the law should not be turned into a large artificial internal procedure.

Do not overload ISO 14001 with laws that do not apply

A good register of compliance obligations is not a list of every environmental law in Montenegro. It identifies which requirements apply to the organization and why.

A company in a central business district with no relevant biodiversity impact may have little operational exposure to this law. A new resort, mine, industrial plant or infrastructure project may have much more. Compliance should reflect the actual risk and context.

ConsultHQ connects nature protection with ISO 14001 and investment changes

Environmental compliance for a new project should be considered before technical design is complete. Through an ISO 14001 and regulatory gap review, ConsultHQ can help identify whether a location, expansion or activity needs additional nature-protection assessment.

Formal biodiversity studies, impact assessments and other regulated expert work require the appropriate specialists and institutions under the applicable procedure. Our role is to help connect their findings with the company's environmental management system and day-to-day operating controls.

Related pages: ISO 14001 in Montenegro, ISO standards for factories, gap analysis and environmental impact assessment.

Official sources: Official Gazette: Nature Protection Law 117/2026; Official Gazette: rules on commercial use of wild species.

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