Postage Stamps Dedicated to Marine Biodiversity: Collaboration Between the Post of Montenegro and the Institute of Marine Biology




Postage Stamps Dedicated to Marine Biodiversity: Collaboration Between the Post of Montenegro and the Institute of Marine Biology

The Institute of Marine Biology has been cooperating with the Post of Montenegro for several years, providing expert and advisory support in the preparation of philatelic issues, namely postage stamps dedicated to marine biodiversity. To date, this cooperation has resulted in the issue of two postage stamps dedicated to marine fauna, and we hope there will be more in the future.

At the proposal of the Post of Montenegro, in 2023 the Institute prepared a list of possible motifs for a postage stamp within the EUROPA issue “Underwater Fauna and Flora”. From the proposed motifs, the Post selected the golden coral (Savalia savaglia), a species inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic, with numerous colonies recorded precisely in Boka Kotorska Bay.

The stamp was designed by graphic designer Ivana Kadić. It was produced in the format 42 × 28 mm, with a face value of €2.00, and printed by the “Blicdruk” printing house in Sarajevo, in a print run of 40,000 copies. In addition to the stamp, this edition also included a first-day cover and a commemorative first-day postmark.

This stamp was also a candidate in the competition for the most beautiful EUROPA postage stamp for 2024, on the theme “Underwater Fauna & Flora”. Among 57 candidates, first place went to France, with a stamp depicting a coral reef ecosystem. Monaco came second with an octopus motif, while Azerbaijan placed third with a blue whale motif.

For 2025, within the “Nature Protection” issue, the Post of Montenegro selected the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the most endangered marine mammals of the Mediterranean. The stamp was designed by graphic designer Mia Bulatović. It was produced in the format 42 × 28 mm, with a face value of €1.00, and, like the previous stamp, printed by “Blicdruk” in Sarajevo, in a print run of 40,000 copies. The first day of issue was also accompanied by a first-day cover and a commemorative first-day postmark.

The postage stamp featuring the Mediterranean monk seal was promoted on 29 May 2025 at Aquarium Boka of the Institute of Marine Biology. The speakers at the promotion were Aleksandra Perović, Philately Specialist at the Post of Montenegro, and Dr Mirko Đurović, Director of the Institute of Marine Biology.

Postage stamps may be small in format, but they can carry powerful messages. Through the motifs of the golden coral and the Mediterranean monk seal, the cooperation between the Post of Montenegro and the Institute of Marine Biology contributes to the visibility of marine biodiversity, nature conservation, and the values that make the Adriatic Sea unique.

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