ABOUT | PONT

ΡΟΝΤ was established in 2015 with funding from the MAVA Foundation and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), working through the KfW Development Bank. Their aim was to support the increasing environmental needs of the Prespa-Ohrid region to respond to the lack of sufficient funding for conservation efforts.

The Prespa-Ohrid region is regarded as one of Europe’s most ecologically valuable areas. The Prespa-Ohrid lake basin is a refuge for many rare and endemic species as well as many cultural and historical monuments. Within its boundaries is the transboundary Prespa Park as well as a UNESCO designated transboundary mixed World Heritage site and Biosphere Reserve.

Since 2015 PONT has shown to be a very effective funding mechanism for improving conservation management and was awarded extra funding to expand, not only to the Ohrid region but also to the Korab-Shara region, the Albanian Alps region, and further into Greece.

As a conservation trust fund, PONT can provide long-term sustainable financing to the region’s parks and local environmental actors. PONT is a small but effective team based locally in Tirana, Albania. They are supported remotely by the Nature Trust Alliance (NTA), who provides them with services. NTA is a collaboration between four Conservation Trust Funds aiming to reduce their operational costs and increase their outputs.

Our Values:

• Ownership by beneficiaries for funding, actions, and results;
• activities and pace according to skills and capacity;
• culture of learning by doing, allowing one to learn from mistakes;
• long-term (local) partnerships;
• conservation actions on the ground;
• support for local organisations;
• long-term with a focus on programmes rather than project driven;
• bringing science and citizens closer together;
• respecting traditional culture and knowledge;
• giving the younger generation a role to play.

PONT’s Mission is “Conserving nature for a sustainable future through long-term partnerships and financing”

PONT is a transboundary conservation trust fund.

As a trust fund, PONT’s funding is long-term and focused on the implementation of key conservation actions in the parks located in the regions, and in the ecological corridors connecting the parks. It is designed to ensure the sustainable management of the Prespa-Ohrid, Korab-Shara, Albanian Alps, and corridor regions. Our model emphasises long-term commitment, transparency, efficiency, accountability, and collaboration.

We believe in:

• Local action for global impact
• Supporting grassroots
• Community-led rather than community-based
• Supplementing traditional methods of funding
• Being based locally, knowing those working in the area
• Outcomes focused rather than outputs focused
• Creating an enabling environment
• Providing mentorship
• Being a flexible and accessible funder

As a financing intermediary, PONT combines investment income from its endowment with other available capital and annual donations to generate grant-making resources for the protected areas, environmental actors and civil society, municipalities, and science/academic institutions addressing nature protection in the region.

PONT raises and manages funds for the allocation of grants verified by a rigorous monitoring and evaluation programme. PONT also leverages collaboration, political commitment, and funding towards the achievement of its mission; conservation of these magnificent transboundary conservation areas.

Over the last 20 years, more than 50 conservation trust funds have been created around the globe with the aim of improving environmental management, primarily on a national level. There are few Transboundary Conservation Trust Funds, including PONT. PONT is the only Conservation Trust Fund working in the Balkans.

PONT provides grants to the park authorities and to the civil society organisations working to conserve the transboundary conservation areas. Initially, PONT focused its funding on the Prespa lakes basin, including the six protected areas surrounding them.

PONT has expanded its initial work beyond the wider Prespa region in line with its mission and objectives. We are now also working in the wider Ohrid region, the Korab-Shara region, the Albanian Alps region in both North Macedonia and Albania, and finally in corridors connecting these regions including the border area of North-Western Greece.

PONT developed an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) to minimise any negative social or environmental impact which supports its present and future expansion.