Category: News

On 17 February in Vevchani, small grants recipients for projects implemented on Mount Jablanica signed agreements with Macedonian Ecological Society. The organisations will start their activities in March and will last until September 2015.

Activities in promotion and protection of the natural resources on Mount Jablanica will be conducted by the Municipality of Vevchani, Soroptimist from Struga, Mountaineering Society of Zakamen, Lekofarm and the NGO Enhalon, all from Struga.

The Call for Small Grants was announced in scope of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme and is financially supported by Foundation MAVA from Switzerland and EuroNatur Foundation from Germany.

On 10 and 11 December in Vevchani a meeting of the jury responsible for the selection of projects for the education of the local population and raising public awareness of the proper use of natural resources of Jablanica was held. The awarded projects will be implemented during 2015.

The jury was membered by representatives of MES, EuroNatur from Germany, the Society for the Protection and Preservation of the environment in Albania (PPNEA), and a representative of Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group of South Eastern Europe (SWG). From a total of 12 proposals jury selected the following projects:

–  “Creating a network of environmental organisations in Struga and Vevchani” – Enhalon, Struga;
–  “Strengthening the capacities of the Municipality of Vevchani for organised, systematic and harmonised protection of natural values ​​of Jablanica” – Municipality of Vevchani;
–  “Youth in movement” – Mountaineering Ecological Society – Zakamen, Struga;
–  “Mount Jablanica – source of natural resources” – Pharmacy Lekofarm, Struga;
–  “To protect our Mount Jablanica for a happier childhood” – Soroptimist Club Association, Struga.

The Macedonian Ecological Society together with other jury members congratulates all organisations and wishes them a successful project implementation.

MES has been implementing the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme ever since 2006 together with PPNEA – Albania, EuroNatur – Germany, KORA – Switzerland, with financial support from the MAVA Foundation – Switzerland. Its main objective is the conservation of the Balkan lynx native population in Macedonia and Albania.

As part of the project, Jablanica with its natural values ​​has been identified as an important cross-border area for protection, and it is part of the Balkan Green Belt. Within the project’s scope, MES is working on the valorisation of mountain’s natural values, promotion of sustainable use of natural resources, and direct involvement of the locals in conservation efforts through the implementation of small grants programmes. Several small grants projects for the Jablanica-Shebenik Mountain Range will be funded in Albania, encompassing the Balkan Lynx Recovery Program.

The Macedonian Ecological Society will officially announce a Call for Small Grant Projects on the 2 October in Struga. The project proposals should be focused on the natural values of Jablanica Mountain and sustainable use of the natural resources. The deadline for submission of the project proposals is 15 November.
More information on the application are available here.

The Macedonian Ecological Society, in cooperation with the Public Enterprise for Managing and Protection of the Multipurpose Area “Jasen” and the Pelister National Park, started camera-trapping activities in the mentioned areas. The aim is to confirm the presence of lynx and its prey species in such areas, and the presence of other large carnivores, and if there is sufficient data, to make estimations about number of lynx individuals present in both areas.

The camera-trapping survey in the protected area Jasen has already started. So far, 8 camera-traps have been deployed in cooperation with the rangers, and so, by the beginning of February, a total of 20-25 camera-traps are expected to be set. The camera-trapping survey in the Pelister National park will start in the beginning of February, whereas the plan is to set around 20 camera-traps. In both areas, the camera-trapping surveys will last until the beginning of April 2014.

The cooperation between the Macedonian Ecological Society and Mavrovo National Park continued with the organisation of the second workshop for the development of the Action Plan to save the Balkan lynx from extinction.  The workshop was organised in Mavrovo on 4-5 November 2013. Action Plan framework defining goals, objectives and activities were the main result accomplished during this workshop. Participants of the event included forest engineers, chief game wardens and game wardens from the park, MES Balkan lynx team, project partners from the Swiss NGO KORA and representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and the Faculty of Forestry from Skopje. This workshop was facilitated by a professional facilitator, experienced in the field of large carnivore management.

Next gathering will take place 16-18 December 2013, whereon the finalisation of the Action Plan and the work on the new pilot project for the conservation of the Balkan lynx in the park are both foreseen.

In the period 21-25 October 2013, representatives from MES attended a workshop for Eurasian Lynx Research and Conservation Workshop held in Bern, Switzerland. The workshop was organised by the Swiss organisation KORA, and besides MES, participants also included people from the University of Lvov and Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology in Kiev from Ukraine, the Technical University of Zvolen, Slovak Wildlife Society and ZOO Bojnice from Slovakia.

The workshop was dedicated to the scientific approaches for the conservation of the Eurasian lynx population, with emphasis on the critically endangered Balkan lynx in Macedonia, and the autochthonous and reintroduced Carpathian lynx populations in Ukraine and Slovakia, and in Switzerland, respectively. With presentations and discussions, the participants provided a short overview of theories and concepts for studying and conserving lynx and practical field applications and data analysis and management.

MES, together with Mavrovo National Park, organised a workshop elaborating the prospect to develop an action plan for the protection of Balkan lynx on the territory of the park and its surrounding area.

Ongoing projects and activities realised within the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme, carried out by MES in the last 7 years, were presented during the meeting attended by representatives from Mavrovo National Park and the Swiss organisation KORA.

According to the Mavrovo Park representatives, the idea of developing an action plan for the protection of the Balkan lynx is welcome and should be realised as soon as possible, so that the positive trend in Balkan lynx population in the area be preserved.

Besides this meeting, a series of workshops is planned for defining the mutual document which should, in fact, strengthen the cooperation between Mavrovo National Park and the Macedonian Ecological Society.

As a matter of fact, Mavrovo National Park and its environs make up the core and sole area with confirmed reproduction of the Balkan lynx.

The workshop was carried out in the Makpetrol Hotel in Mavrovo on 16 and 17 September 2013 and it was financially supported by the MAVA foundation, which provides funding for the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.

One of the fundamental activities when the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme started was the Baseline Survey. The knowledge of the locals did not only extend our insight into wildlife in the countryside of Macedonia and Albania, but, to a certain level, it also helped raise public awareness about this critically endangered animal. Seeking consistency of data gathered in the two countries, this year we have started the Baseline Survey in the Balkan lynx northern potential area: Kosovo and Montenegro. Partners for such valuable activity are the NGOs Finch from Prizren, ERA from Peć, CZIP from Podgorica and the “National Parks of Montenegro” government agency.

Results from the Baseline Survey will help in completing the picture of the conservation status of the Balkan lynx in order to make sound assessment and officially declare its status using the IUCN Red List Criteria of Threatened Species.

The Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) was part of the Eco Green Festival in Mavrovo, taking place 16-18 August 2013. At the event, MES presented its projects by distributing promotional materials, posters and books on protected areas in Macedonia, Shar Mountain, Mount Jablanica, Monostpitovo Swamp, the brown bear, and many other topics. Visitors had the opportunity to ask questions, inform themselves about matters of personal interest and talk to Society representatives.

Presentations focused on the Balkan Recovery Programme (BLRP), presented by MES representative Gjorgje Ivanov (also a member of the BLRP team). The stand was accompanied with panels providing details about lynx, its home, feeding habits, and also its status in the Balkans – and what we can do to conserve this species.