As part of the activities under Work Package 6 (WP6), Task 6.1 of the ongoing project, the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) organized a workshop in Žabljak dedicated to assessing Willingness to Pay (WTP) and raising awareness about the cultural and historical significance of stećci — medieval tombstones recognized as important cultural heritage.

The workshop brought together representatives from UDG, including Milika Mirković, Vojin Golubović, and lecturer Biljana Brajović, alongside key local stakeholders such as the Municipality of Žabljak, the Secretariat for Sports and Culture, the Durmitor National Park, the Žabljak Tourist Organization, and other relevant experts.

The event featured an educational lecture focused on the importance of preserving stećci, their cultural value, and the challenges posed by climate change to their long-term conservation. A carefully designed two-phase survey was conducted before and after the lecture to measure changes in participants’ awareness, perceptions, and their financial willingness to contribute to preservation efforts.

In the initial phase, participants completed the survey without prior exposure to information about climate change and its effects on stećci. This allowed researchers to capture unbiased baseline data regarding public attitudes and motivations. The second round of the survey, conducted after the lecture, aimed to evaluate the impact of newly acquired knowledge on their willingness to support conservation initiatives.

The workshop served as an important platform for dialogue among academia, local institutions, and tourism and environmental stakeholders, highlighting the growing need for community-driven preservation of cultural heritage sites under the increasing threat of environmental change.