Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning celebrates 5th of June- World Environment Day with a new activity preparing a Study for valorization and draft-plan for management of the Natural Monument Lake Ohrid, as well as a Draft-Plan for management of the future National Park Sharr Mountain as a result of IUCN – approved grant.
The project monitors the commitments and continous activities of the MOEPP, for valorization or revaluation of the natural values of protected areas in accordance with the Law on Nature Protection, the National Strategy for Nature Protection with Action Plan ( 2017-2027) and the National Strategy for Biological Diversity period ( 2018 -2023 ) in the direction of achieving the set goals for increasing the percentage of protected areas on the entire territory of the country.
The activities are part of the ongoing GEF/UNEP project: ” Achieving Biodiversity Protection by creating and effectively managing Protected Areas and Integrating Biodiversity into Land Use Planning ” ( STAR 5 )
The project will be implemented by the Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature for Eastern Europe and Central Asia ( IUCN ECARO ) in cooperation with the MOEPP and UNEP, with the participation of international and national experts. IUCN will apply the best international standards for protected areas, including its own guidelines for best practices.
The preparation of the Study for the valorization of Lake Ohrid enables the MOEPP to initiate a procedure for the re-proclamation of Lake Ohrid as a protected area, in accordance with the Law on Nature Protection.
The Sharr Mountain Management Plan will be prepared based on data from the Study for valorization of Sharr Mountain (2020) , which was also prepared with financial assistance from GEF / UNEP.
The development of management plans for both areas will help the future governing bodies of protected areas to ensure effective management of protected areas and meet the provisions of national and international legislation on nature protection, as well as meeting the requirements of EU directives, for habitats and birds.
The preparation of the three documents will enable the implementation of the activities envisaged in the Annual Program for Nature Protection for 2020 of the MOEPP.