First Cross-Border Meeting of Strategic Partners for Good Governance of Protected Areas in the Sharr-Korab Mountain Massif

The ALCDF Foundation, within the framework of the PONT – Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust program, organized on December 19, 2023, in Tirana, the first cross-border meeting of Strategic Partners for good governance of protected areas in the Sharr-Korab mountain massif. The Sharr-Korab massif, spanning the protected areas of Sharr National Park in Kosovo, Mavrovo National Park, Sharr Mountain National Park in North Macedonia, and Korab-Koritnik Nature Park in Albania, is the largest protected area in Europe, with over 230,000 hectares. This meeting was attended by high-level representatives of central political decision-making institutions for Protected Areas from the Republic of North Macedonia, including: the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, the Department of Environmental Administration, the Public Enterprise for Pasture Management, the Department of Cross-Border Cooperation in the Ministry of Local Self-Government, and the Public Institution of Sharr Mountain National Park. From Kosovo, the Sharr National Park and Bjeshkëtë e Nemuna National Park attended, and from the Republic of Albania: the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the National Agency for Protected Areas, the Directorate of Nature and Forests, the National Forestry Agency, and the Agency for Support to Local Self-Government.

The meeting was honored by the attendance of Ms. Almira Xhembulla, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment in Albania, who spoke about the policies and strategic priorities that the government has for increasing protected area coverage to meet European indicators and for creating sustainable management models for protected areas. The meeting was also valued by representatives of international donors working in this region, such as PONT - Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust, Global Conservation, and SwEPA from Sweden, who shared best practices from around the world and expressed support for positive initiatives in the Sharr-Korab region, which should be partnership initiatives. All participants at this meeting emphasized the importance of coordination and cooperation throughout the Sharr-Korab massif region, from the level of decision-making, technical staff of protected areas, local authorities, civil society sector, and local communities, in order to implement more effective measures for ecosystem protection, in promoting the natural and tourism values of the area, and in joint initiatives for sustainable development in this region. They emphasized the need to share information, to facilitate inter-institutional communication, to coordinate actions, to seek support for regional initiatives in the Sharr-Korab massif in terms of decision-making, legislation, and governance in the future.

The meeting was held within the framework of the project "Protection and Sustainable Use of Protected Areas in Sharr, Mavrovo, and Korab-Koritnik Mountains," financed by the PONT - Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust program, implemented by the ALCDF Foundation and partners CSCD in North Macedonia and LAG Dibra Turistike in Albania.