Category: News

With a mural of a Balkan lynx and a small celebration, the Macedonian Ecological Society marked World Lynx Day today.

“We finally found a home for the mural, we found an artist who painted it, and we found a person with vision who is open to collaboration—and that is the director of the Comedy Theatre, Darko Spasov. Our goal with this mural is to raise public awareness, not only in rural areas but also on an urban level. When things get tough, we need all kinds of support, from every segment of the population,” said Dime Melovski, head of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.

He expressed gratitude for the support from the Comedy Theatre and its director, Darko Spasov. “They say birds of a feather flock together,” said director Spasov, who shared his satisfaction with the collaboration with the Macedonian Ecological Society.

In addition to the mural on the facade of the Comedy Theatre, an info board has been placed in front of the building, displaying basic information about the lynx and a QR code leading to the new website dedicated to the Balkan lynx: balkanlynx.com.

After the welcoming speeches, members and collaborators of MES headed to Bistro Comedy, where in an informal setting, they had the opportunity to reflect on past achievements and exchange ideas and suggestions for future activities.

In honor and remembrance of Ljupcho Melovski, his closest family, colleagues, friends, students, and admirers climbed Mount Kitka, following in the footsteps of a man who dedicated his entire life to the protection of nature. 

The memorial hike, now traditionally held for the fifth consecutive year, was organized by the Macedonian Ecological Society in collaboration with the Mountaineering Club “Ljuboten” – Tetovo. 

This year, the hike took place on April 27th, in a spirit of unity and deep respect for Professor Melovski’s life and legacy. Although he passed away in 2019, his vision for a healthy and protected environment continues to inspire us. Those present shared memories, stories, and moments spent with him — testimonies of his dedication, passion, and years of involvement with the Macedonian Ecological Society. 

Due to the pandemic, the first memorial hike was postponed and eventually held in 2021, but since then it has grown into a tradition that lives on. His work continues — through the people he inspired, the paths he paved, and the nature he loved.

This year, for the first time, we are launching a photo contest on the theme of wild spring plants. All participants of the memorial march on Kitka have the right to submit up to two photographs. The photos can be sent to us no later than May 5, 2025, after which a jury will select the winning entries. These winning photos will be used to create promotional materials for the Macedonian Ecological Society.

The “Bird Numbers 2025” conference, held in Riga, Latvia, from March 31 to April 4, 2025, brought together bird researchers and nature conservation experts from across Europe under the theme “Synergies in Monitoring for Conservation.” Key discussions addressed the integration of diverse data sources, such as national atlases and long-term surveys, with the aim of assessing population trends and developing effective strategies for the conservation of breeding birds in Europe. The conference also emphasized the role of citizen science in improving efforts to collect data on breeding birds and raising public awareness.

In addition, the conference hosted working meetings of the Mediterranean Waterbird Network, the coordinators of the International Waterbird Census led by Wetlands International, and a partner meeting of the European Bird Portal project network.

“During the Conference emphasis was placed on three topics – the use of advanced technologies such as automated acoustic monitoring in bird research, the use of online portals for collecting real-time bird data (providing immediate insight into the effects of climate change on habitat changes as well as on the changes in the distribution and size of the breeding bird populations), and the need for parallel development of conservation policies for breeding birds and their habitats that will result in appropriate and long-term protective effects. With the growing number of professional and amateur bird researchers and birdwatchers, and the development of the national platform (website and app ptici.mk) for collecting bird data, MES is actively working to improve the breeding and migratory bird distribution and abundance in the country. The power of citizen science through the use of this platform is already delivering great results. MES has also already used and has experience with technologies aimed at researching birds of national or global conservation concern. The experiences from this conference have shown us that even better technologies are already available for field use, which the bird research team at MES will apply in future studies.” stated Danka Uzunova, representative of MES at the Conference.

Learn more about the Conference posters and the oral presentations here.

Today, the European Commission proposed a direct amendment of the wolf protection status under the Habitats Directive. This proposal follows the decision to downlist the wolf under the Bern Convention, which entered into force on 6 March 2025, drawing wide criticism from conservation experts and environmental organisations.

For the last 18 months, the EU has been pushing to downgrade wolf protection despite the lack of sound scientific evidence. Back in December 2023, Ursula von der Leyen became the first-ever EU Commission President to propose lowering the protection status of any species in an international forum.

Thanks to strict protection, wolf populations have been recovering in many parts of the continent, constituting a major conservation success. Nevertheless, their conservation status continues to be far from favourable, and recovery is still fragile.

“Downgrading wolf protection is a misguided decision that prioritises political gains over science and will further polarise the debate. It offers no real help to rural communities, while it completely undermines the opportunity to continue investing in preventive measures to achieve coexistence,” says the coalition of NGOs consisting of WWF EU, BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, and the European Environmental Bureau.

“Instead of boosting Europe’s nature, our best ally against the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises, the EU continues its U-turn on one of its most impressive conservation successes in decades. The EU’s push against the wolf sets an extremely dangerous precedent for nature conservation policy as it disregards the science-based approach and turns species protection into a political bargaining chip,” continues the coalition.

For over three decades, the EU’s flagship Habitats Directive has protected hundreds of European species and habitats, bringing back from the brink of extinction iconic species such as the wolf and the Iberian lynx.

The coalition now calls on Member States and the European Parliament to protect the integrity of the Habitats Directive and resist any attempts to weaken it.

Source: www.birdlife.org

24.02.2025 – The local action groups “Friends of Shara” from North Macedonia, LAG “Korab-Koritnik” from Albania, and LAG “Shari” from Kosovo held a meeting in Kukës, Albania, on February 21 and 22.

The purpose of the meeting was to exchange experiences and provide updates on the activities of the LAGs since 2023, when the last cross-border meeting was held in Prizren, Kosovo.

The LAGs discussed that topics such as nature education, sustainable tourism, cooperation, and promotion of the Shara-Korab-Koritnik region remain at the core of their work and that the potential for cross-border collaboration is significant.

As part of the meeting, participants visited the Topojani Waterfall, an example of a successful project previously supported by the local action group “Korab-Koritnik.

The Macedonian Ecological Society organized a workshop in Veles from February 10 to 12, 2025, attended by partner organizations from the Experiential Learning Network.

The goal of this workshop was to adapt educational activities for students with disabilities who participate in the workshops of the Experiential Learning Network.

One of the key indicators of well-being in a society is the quality of life available to its most vulnerable groups. That is why we strive to bring science and experiential learning closer to students with disabilities.

During the workshop, which gathered all partner organizations from the Experiential Learning Network, we developed adapted educational activities for students with disabilities and methods for their implementation.

Special thanks to Kristijan Lazarev, a professor of Macedonian language and literature at the State School for the Rehabilitation of Children and Youth with Visual Impairments “Dimitar Vlahov” in Skopje.

In addition, Mirjana Petrushevska, a special educator and rehabilitator at the Special Primary School “Maca Ovčarova” in Veles, shared her extensive experience and knowledge.

They provided deeper insights into the challenges educators may face when conducting workshops and how to guide students with disabilities through experiential learning experiments in a more sensitive manner.

Through joint efforts, we make science equally accessible to all students attending the workshops of the Experiential Learning Network.

The head of the Young Ecologists section, Marija Čobanova, delivered an excellent lecture today titled “Peatlands: The Hidden Ally in the Fight Against Climate Change.”

In her presentation, she not only covered well-established theories but also shared insights gained through her research work. Additionally, she proposed future activities, such as measuring emissions from peatlands.

The lecture took place in the Biological Amphitheater at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (PMF), with nearly 40 members from all MED sections in attendance, who had the opportunity to expand their knowledge about peatlands.