This workshop signifies one of the latest activities MES fulfilled as part of the second phase of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme, the aim of which is to protect and conserve the native population of the Balkan lynx in the Republic of Macedonia.
The workshop took place in Demir Hisar on 20 November 2012, where the most important audience were the representatives from the forestry department and individual stockbreeders from the region of the Ilinska-Plakenska Mountain Range, as well as Jablanica and Shar Mts. Greatly significant was the attendance of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the presence of the mayors of the municipalities of Demir Hisar and Vevchani.
During the workshop, besides presenting results from the research conducted so far and the future directions of MES within the project, also shown were the positive sides of the implementation of traditional practices of stockbreeding, as an activity in the framework of the future protected areas suggested by MES. Moreover, suggestions for sustainable management and usage of the forest potential in these areas were provided.
Much to the delight of the MES team, having been working for several years now on the issue of lynx conservation, many interesting suggestions and ideas for mutual operation in these areas were presented during the workshop.
