The law also defines the goals of protection of the Kotor Region of Kotor, which is specially protected, in order to: 1) preserve its outstanding universal value, as a part of the world natural and cultural heritage; 2) permanently preserve its authentic natural, historical, urban-architectural, ambient, artistic, aesthetic and landscape values; 3) provide conditions for its sustainable development and use; 4) present it and valorise it professionally and scientifically. Integrated protection of the Kotor Region, in accordance with the law, is regulated by: 1) Spatial Plan of Montenegro; 2) Plan of General Regulation of Montenegro; 3) Management Plan; 4) Urban Development Plan; 5) Study for the Protection of Cultural Properties 6) Study for the Protection of Natural Properties. In 2013, the Law introduced the Council for the Management of the Natural and CulturoHistorical Region of Kotor. Amendments to the Law in 2018 introduced the obligation – Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for all planning documents for the property, as well as the individual Heritage Impact Assessment for facilities where the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Properties deems it necessary.
Institutional framework Protection of the Kotor Region is a complex process in which many institutions are involved directly or indirectly, and the state of the property depends on their decisions. Responsibility for the protection of cultural heritage in Montenegro lies primarily on the Ministry of Culture (which was transformed into the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in December 2020), which has its Directorate for Cultural Heritage, and its institutions. The following institutions have been specially established for the protection of the Kotor Region: 1980 – After the catastrophic earthquake of April 1979 and the inscription on the World Heritage List, the Municipal Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Kotor was founded. This Institute was responsible for cultural monuments in the territory of the Municipality of Kotor, with a special focus on the protection of the Kotor Region as a World Heritage site. The Municipal Institute was a meeting place for numerous domestic and foreign experts as well as UNESCO experts gathered to rehabilitate the Kotor Region from the consequences caused by the earthquake10. 10 Study for the Protection of Cultural Properties in the Municipality of Kotor, 2015-2018
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