In 2018, PONT has granted the NGO, Macedonian Ecological Society in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MES) (www.mes.org.mk), an initial one-year grant aimed at strengthening MES’s institutional capacities by opening a local office in the municipality of Resen. The PONT grant provides core funding aimed at supporting MES’s key objectives in line with its mission, as well as operational support for a …
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Society for Protection of Prespa in Greece embraces an integrated landscape approach
Integrated landscape approaches provide a basic framework for balancing competing demands and integrating policies for multiple land uses within a given area. In the Prespa region this approach includes sustainable agriculture activities, certification and labelling of agricultural products, and so-called agritourism or ecotourism activities aimed at community engagement and empowerment, resulting in an overall “greening” of the local economy. Local stakeholders in the …
Transboundary actions for large carnivores and their prey kicks off in Prespa
In 2018, PONT granted the NGO, Protection and Preservation of Nature Environment in Albania (PPNEA) (www.ppnea.org), an initial one-year grant. The grant is aimed at strengthening PPNEA’s institutional capacities through enhancing its involvement in transboundary projects and projects specific to Prespa, Albania, and through improving overall operations and research activities, including large carnivores conservation activities. A lot remains unknown about the population of …
PONT kicks off its Environmental Actor grants programme
The Wider Prespa Region covers parts of Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Greece. The transboundary area houses five protected areas, three wetland areas, part of a transboundary Biosphere Reserve as well as the transboundary Prespa Park. To ensure sustainable conservation and effective management of the protected areas, cooperation across borders is crucial. In 2013, to strengthen cooperation between local stakeholders, …
Conflict-sensitive conservation in the wider Prespa area through improved cooperation
As part of the development and establishment of PONT’s grant programme, PONT has conducted a conflict assessment. The study followed a participatory approach to identify existing and potential conflicts and engage different stakeholders to come up with mitigation measures and implementation strategies in line with the PONT grant programme. The study, Conflict Assessment in Wider Prespa Area can be found on the PONT …
The PONT Team Takes Shape
Summer is nearly here and I’m so proud of all that we have achieved over the last few months. Since arriving in Tirana in late January, my team and I have established our program office and signed a Framework Agreement with the Ministry of Environment of Albania—two very important milestones in furthering PONT’s successful future. PONT’s Regional Program Office (RPO) officially opened its …
Message from the PONT Executive Director
21 February 2017, Tirana As announced I moved to Tirana in the second half of January to be closer to the relevant stakeholders in the Wider Prespa Area (Natural Prespa Catchment Basin and Pelister & Galicica National Parks) and to start-up PONT’s activities in the region. Upon arrival I had the pleasure to be invited by Mihallaq Qirjo, the Director of Regional Administration of …
Mirjam de Koning Joins PONT
04 January 2017, Frankfurt am Main Prespa-Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) is pleased to announce that Mirjam de Koning has been named as Executive Director, effective 10 January 2017, replacing interim Executive Director David Morrison, who led the organization’s initial start-up phase. Mirjam will be responsible for the overall leadership of PONT and will oversee the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic plan, while …
PONT and CNF: an Innovative Partnership
The Prespa Ohrid Nature Fund (PONT) and Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) have embarked upon a combined services partnership which represents a bold new step in the world of conservation trust funds (CTF). The two organizations have combined their investment services and back office operations in an innovative partnership that is designed to keep administrative costs low and provide more sustainable and professional operational …
David Morrison Joins PONT as Interim Director
01.May.2016 The PONT Board of Directors is pleased to announce David Morrison as Interim Executive Director of PONT. With David’s in-depth knowledge of conservation trust fund management, we are confident he will provide strong leadership during PONT’s start-up phase. David’s has over eight years of leadership, development and management experience in the conservation trust fund community from his role as founding Executive Director …
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