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Author: ksenija

  • International Waterfowl Census (IWC) 2019

    International Waterfowl Census (IWC) 2019

    For ten years now, on the weekend of 12 and 13 January 2019, MES employees and volunteers conducted bird counting on Macedonia’s three natural lakes, also including adjacent water reservoirs and wetlands. Despite the biting cold, the teams’ weather-defying spirit and enthusiasm made an enjoyable endeavour out of the International Waterfowl Census (IWC) in Macedonia, resulting in a total count of as much as 25.000 birds on Ohrid Lake and Prespa Lake, and round 6.000 birds on Dojran Lake. These small numbers can be a reflection to the rather mild winter weather conditions in the abovementioned locations, in comparison to the previous years. Apart from the rather small numbers, several rare, truly arctic species were spotted, like the Tundra Swan and the Red-breasted Goosander.

    The International Waterfowl Census is the largest volunteer waterbird census with a long-standing tradition ever since 1967. Led by the Wetlands International and in cooperation with numerous local organizations, this event has become the much needed source of information, pivotal to creating policies on wetland management and protection.

  • Annual membership meeting

    Annual membership meeting

    The annual membership meeting is a predecessor to the meetings of our Presidency and the Assembly. This time the meeting was held on January 10th at the MKC Restaurant. The members were greeted by our President, Professor Slavcho Hristovski, PhD. and the Executive Director Robertina Brajanoska, MSc, but we were especially honored by the speech given by out Founder Ljupcho Grupche, PhD.

    During the membership meeting we once again thanked and honored our Nature Heroes, Emanuel Lisichanec for his work on vulture conservation and Violeta Janeva on her visionary support of the Stork Village in Macedonia. This prestigious award was given to both our members by the President of BirdLife.  

    The membership meeting is also the forum where our members can find out more about the projects we are developing, the programs we support and to influence our work through the membership delegate who is a member of our Assembly.

    For all our members who could not make it to the event here are the videos, about our work in 2018 and a short video about the network we joined as full members – BirdLife international.

  • Promotion of the Conservation Action Plan for the Balkan Lynx in Mavrovo National Park

    Promotion of the Conservation Action Plan for the Balkan Lynx in Mavrovo National Park

    On 26 December 2018, the Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for the Balkan Lynx was presented in the Mavrovo National Park (MNP), foreseeing systematic activities for the conservation of Balkan lynx in the MNP area. Activities are financially supported by the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme, implemented by the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) for twelve years now, and will be conducted in close cooperation with MNP until the end of 2020. The document was prepared and revised in the last five years in partnership with MES, MNP and other relevant stakeholders from the country and abroad.

    –The main goal of the Action Plan is to give significant contribution to conserve the population of the critically endangered Balkan lynx. The CAP represents operative document specifying concrete activities and measures, also providing financial and time frames. The CAP pertains to the lynx population core area, currently within MNP, whereas planned activities include prey species monitoring, education, raising public awareness, establishing safe biocorridors for large mammals, transboundary cooperation, etc., stated Dime Melovski, MES Wildlife Programme Manager.

    Current situation with the Balkan lynx in Macedonia remains worrisome. Latest estimation show that lynx population in its entire potential region in the Southwest Balkans amounts to 40 adult individuals. Such figures were acquired using direct counting of individuals within the core area in MNP and their further extrapolation for the remaining suitable habitats. The counting of individuals was done using the globally accepted method of camera-trapping in the years 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018. MNP and its surroundings host between 10 and 18 lynx, with average population density of 1.7 individuals per 100 km2.  Its population size below 50 adult individuals earns the Balkan lynx the critically endangered (CR) status according to the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and therefore, it has found its place on the IUCN Red List ever since 2015.

  • Successful meeting between NP “Mavrovo and NP “Malet e Sharrit” in Kosovo

    Successful meeting between NP “Mavrovo and NP “Malet e Sharrit” in Kosovo

    On 11 December 2018, a meeting took place on Shar Mountain in Kosovo among
    representatives of the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia and the Sharri National Park in Kosovo, organised by the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES).

    The aim of this meeting was to present the work of MES regarding Balkan lynx conservation and the initial results from the monitoring of chamois in the Mavrovo National Park, conducted in cooperation with park employees.

    Participants exchanged views about future transboundary cooperation between the two national parks, whereas also addressed were common problems pertaining to the decreasing number of livestock, transboundary utilisation of given resources, namely, game, pastures and blueberry, as specific challenges faced in both parks.

    The meeting was organised as part of the activities of the Balkan Lynx Conservation Action
    Plan in Mavrovo National Park, implemented by MES in partnership with Mavrovo National
    Park.

  • Second European Mammal Atlas

    Second European Mammal Atlas

    Published in 1999 and with more than 450 citations on the Web of Science, the first edition of the European Mammal Atlas has become one of the most cited books on mammals in Europe. The need for a new edition became obvious in 2015 due to the fact that many studies contributed to the increased knowledge about mammals at European level, and also considering that the European part of Russia was included in the project too. The new edition is due with publication in 2024, exactly 25 years after the first one. The Macedonian Ecological Society is a partner of this project and the main contributor of mammal knowledge for Macedonia.

    For more information please visit the following link:

    http://discovermammals.org/projects/the-2nd-european-mammal-atlas

  • Need to Establish Large Carnivore Platform in the Balkans

    Around fifty representatives from the region and from other European countries took part in the first regional meeting of the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores in the Dinaric region, held in Budva, Montenegro on 6 November 2018. Participants affirmed the importance of the Platform in establishing transboundary cooperation, exchanging experiences, and conducting joint management of large carnivore populations.

    The Dinaric-Pindos mountain range is among the richest European regions as far as the biodiversity is concerned, and it is home to the brown bear, grey wolf and Eurasian lynx. The representatives of the meeting concluded that the Dinaric platform will be a unique example for joint management of the large carnivore population in 10 different countries, something that exceptional to Europe.

    The meeting was organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF – Adria), IUCN, Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, Parks Dinarides, The Center for Protection and Research of Birds in Montenegro and EuroNatur.

  • Celebrating birds!

    October was a busy month for celebrating internationally important days for birds. In the first week, we were celebrating the European Birdwatch Days by organizing birdwatching tours in the Skopje City Park and with the pupils from Goce Delchev primary school from Resen. This year was the 25th anniversary of the European Birdwatch days, which have been Europe’s most popular birdwatching platform to date.

    In the second week from October however, we celebrated the World Migratory Bird Days with birdwatching tours in Skopje City Park and in Gevgelija with the pupils from Vlado Kantarziev. The participants learned the basic birdwatching principles and discussed the benefits and challenges of bird migration.

    Approximately 60 participants took part in the tours and worked in direct contact with the bird team of MES. The organization of the birdwatching tours is part of MES’s effort to popularize this world trend to the pupils and public in Macedonia.

  • Adriatic flyways 4 – Macedonia

    Adriatic flyways 4 – Macedonia

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1534241209987{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Time frame: 2018-2022

    Funding: MAVA Foundation

    Coordinating beneficiary: Euronatur Foundation, Germany

    Associated beneficiaries: Association BIOM (BirdLife Croatia), Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS, BirdLife Serbia), Nase Ptice (Bosnia and Hercegovina), Albanian Onithological Society (AOS, Albania), Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA, Albania).

    Project goal: Monitoring bird electrocution and collision with medium-voltage pylon lines in Municipality Ceshinovo-Obleshevo and wider Ovche Pole region, collaboration with key stakeholders (Municipality Ceshinovo-Obleshevo, Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Ministry of Economy, EVN Macedonia) on dangerous pylon lines insulation/retrofiting, installing Stork platforms i attempt to monomoze negative pylon effects, and organizing knowledge and good practice exchange study tours for key stakeholders.

     

    Contact person: Danka Uzunova, uzunova@mes.org.mk[/vc_column_text][mk_divider style=”shadow_line” margin_bottom=”30″][mk_fancy_title tag_name=”h3″ size=”30″ force_font_size=”true” size_smallscreen=”30″ size_tablet=”25″ size_phone=”22″ font_family=”none”]MES News[/mk_fancy_title][mk_blog style=”thumbnail” grid_image_height=”300″ cat=”371″ exclude_post_format=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • MES becomes Full Partner to BirdLife International

    MES becomes Full Partner to BirdLife International

    Since September 2018, MES is the official Full Partner to BirdLife International for Macedonia. The official designation ceremony took place in Belgium on the BirdLife’s Global Partnership Meeting. MES’s General Secretary Metodija Velevski PhD. accepted the acknowledgement, as he has been included in the organization’s Partnership processes from the very beginning.

    The Partnership to BirdLife International process started in 2006, when MES was designated a BirdLIfe Affiliate in Macedonia. In the next 12 years, MES increased the number of employees working on over ten projects on bird research, conservation and protection, included consecutive educational bird activities for pupils and published the scientific paper on identifying the national Important Bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs).

    On this Global Partnership Meeting, two local collaborators of MES were awarded with certificates for their long-term collaboration with MES and continuous bird conservation, protection and promotion efforts on a local level. Ms. Violeta Janeva from Municipality Cheshinovo-Obleshevo and Mr. Emil Lisicanec from NCA Aquila Kavadarci were recognized and appointed as BirdLife’s Nature’s Heroes for Macedonia, joining the hundred such other heroes from around the world.

  • Leaflet for bike trails on Osogovo mountain

    As part of the project “Supporting a sustainable future for people and nature in the Osogovo mountain”, as a result from the component for development of sustainable tourism in the region three leaflets for bike trails were made.

    The leaflets are available on the following links:

    Easy trаil

    Medium and hard trаil

    Bike trail – Ponikva