Subject and goals of the project
The high mountain region of Shar/Korab-Koritnik is located in the border area of Albania, Kosovo and Northern Macedonia on the European Green Belt. The mountains have a valuable cultural heritage
reflected in the landscape, which is characterized by traditional land use, such as transhumance. The area has a high biodiversity of species and habitats. The income level of the local population is low and mostly dependent on the use of natural resources. The main ecological challenges in the region are the overexploitation of natural resources (e.g. soil, wild plants & animals, timber) and the direct destruction of habitats. The pressure on natural resources is constantly increasing and extending to the remote areas of the mountains, threatening to irreversibly damage the natural as well as the cultural heritage. The local population contributes to the aggravation of the challenges due to unsustainable use of natural resources. This development is exacerbated by insufficient sources of income for the population and a lack of economic alternatives, which encourages unsustainable land use practices and the abandonment of traditional sustainable land use. The protection of regional biodiversity, in particular, requires a more sustainable use of natural resources in terms of sustainable regional development. Only if the protection of biodiversity and a sustainable development in the sense of a socio-ecological system go hand in hand, a safeguarding and more sustainable development of the livelihoods of the local population seems possible.
As part of a DBU feasibility study carried out in 2019 and 2020 in close cooperation between the EuroNatur Foundation and local and regional stakeholders, possible solutions and measures were identified that support sustainable development in the region and at the same time counteract the threats to the area. Together with the regional stakeholders, promising approaches for model projects in the fields of action agriculture and forestry, tourism and education were developed, which form the basis for the project. These approaches for model projects take into account the ideas and needs of local actors and open up the possibility for a large number of other local people to sustainably improve their work situation and at the same time contribute to the conservation of regional resources and the protection of biodiversity. Overall, the project focuses on the following sub-goals:
13 parallel model projects in the fields of forestry/agriculture, tourism and education in the three countries (Albania five, Kosovo four, North Macedonia four) are being worked on to achieve the objectives. Each model project is to fulfill the following criteria:
The 13 model projects focus on sustainable practical solutions in the fields of high mountain agriculture, beekeeping, agro-forestry and sustainable tourism, among others. They are developed in a participatory manner and jointly implemented and tested in the border area.
The implementation is carried out by local actors and is accompanied by local support of the project partners in the respective country. At the end of the project, all model projects are evaluated and the results are made available to the (professional) public. Cross-border activities (trainings, workshops and conferences) serve the dialogue between the model projects and promote learning and exchange between the participating country actors. Accompanying measures link the regional level of the thematic areas with the local model projects and strengthen their impact throughout the region. A project advisory board with experienced actors from the fields of science, civil society and development cooperation accompanies all measures and the progress in the model projects.
Innovation and exemplary nature of the project
The project focuses on a cross-border natural unit in the Western Balkans with unique European characteristics in terms of biodiversity. At the same time, substantial dangers of unsustainable resource and land use and possible solutions are identified. In this context, the 13 model projects implemented in the three participating countries in the fields of forestry, agriculture and tourism focus on innovative and exemplary approaches to sustainable land use that promotes biodiversity. In particular, the cross-border qualification of the actors as well as the cooperation and collaboration in the region are in the focus. Furthermore, the measures open up new and more sustainable possibilities for the participating citizens of the region to generate income in the field of sustainable land use and sustainable regional development. The envisaged results will be communicated beyond the national borders and open up the possibility of providing effective impulses for sustainable regional development and biodiversity protection in the entire region on a regional scale.
Special aspects of the project
In the culturally diverse region of the Shar Mountains in the Western Balkans, which has been marked by manifold political conflicts in recent history, cooperative measures for the protection of biodiversity, accompanied by NGOs, foundations and science, are being implemented together with land users for the first time in the border area between the three countries Albania, Northern Macedonia and Kosovo. A novelty is not only the combination of biodiversity protection measures with sustainable regional development and measures in the field of sustainable land use, but also the targeted realization of co-benefits for the economic situation of the land users involved and the entire region. The project contributes to the initiation of lasting cooperative relationships and strengthens the regional and international cooperation of scientific and civil society actors in the field of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
Funding subject: Nature conservation and sustainable use of nature in cultural landscapes and protected areas
Cooperation partners:
Locations: Baden-Wuerttemberg, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo
Funding period: March 2021 to September 2023
Project costs: Total volume: 519 856 Euro, DBU funding: 250 000 Euro
DBU-AZ: 37375
Note: Translation of the German version with DeepL
Last updated: 20.05.2022
