The winter of 2025 left a profound mark on one of North Macedonia’s most valuable natural treasures – the ancient Molika …
PROTECTED AREAS
The Municipality of Vevchani continues to successfully advance the implementation of the Management Plan for the Vevchani Springs Monument of Nature …
In 2025, the Public Institution Galicica National Park (PIGNP) continued to advance biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management and institutional strengthening under …
Despite institutional instability and financial pressure, 2025 marked a year of measurable conservation progress and strengthened local engagement in the Shar …
The aim of PONT Connect is to “improve the conservation of ecosystem connectivity and the sustainable co-management of ecological corridors thereby …
The PONT board members had a memorable experience visiting the Shar Mountain National Park in North Macedonia. The visit started with …
Albania is working hard to improve the management of its protected areas and achieve the objectives outlined in their Management Plans. …
On the 29th May 2025, the Municipality of Resen hosted a cross-border coordination meeting bringing together management authorities of all protected …
The distribution range of the Common Goosander (Mergus merganser) is primarily confined to the tundra and taiga zones, as well as …
The health of any protected area is inherently linked to its management. Effective governance is not just a responsibility; it is …
The Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), aside from being an internationally recognised framework designed to evaluate the effectiveness of management in …
The trilateral Prespa Lake, which borders North Macedonia, Greece, and Albania, is a natural treasure and a globally significant ecosystem. Renowned …
In environmental conservation, effectively managing protected areas is crucial for safeguarding biodiversity and promoting sustainable practices. One innovative approach gaining traction …
Pelister National Park, in accordance with Nature Protection Law, has developed a new Management Plan for Pelister National Park for the …
Summers in the Shar Mountain National Park are a busy time for the ranger service but this summer was particularly exceptional. …
Now in its fifth year, the collaboration between Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust and National Agency Protected Areas has blossomed into a …
National Park Management Plans are key planning and strategic documents that provide the basis for effective park management. Taking into account …
Albania’s stunning protected areas, including the Albanian Alps National Park and Korab-Koritnik Natural Park, are beloved destinations for both tourists and …
The Albanian Alps National Park (AANP) is a crucial biodiversity sanctuary, providing a safe space for a variety of species and …
On March 7, 2024, the fourth annual meeting of managers for protected areas from the cross-border region of Prespa was held …
Vevchani is a small municipality located in the southwestern part of North Macedonia, situated under the slopes of the stunning Jablanica …
Prespa Lake is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, birds, mammals, and plants. Many of these species are unique …
The breath-taking Nature Monument Vevchani Springs lies in the heart of the Jablanica Mountain in North Macedonia. This untouched haven of …
The last year has proved to be both a time of remarkable accomplishments, and of significant challenges, for Pelister National Park. …
Shar Mountain is a newly proclaimed National Park with an ambitious mission to establish and support local economic development. 2023 was …
2024 and the start of the new operational year has brought five 3-year grants of 1.8 million EUR from PONT to …
The collaboration between scientists and volunteers (ordinary citizens) has the potential to expand the scope of research and enhance the ability …
Over the span of the last 13 months, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Center for Education and Development (CED), based in Tearce …
Last week Dutch Ambassador Reinout Vos and his wife Corien Vos, paid a two-day visit to the Prespa region with executive …
A KfW mission comprising Dr. Matthias Grüninger (Principal Portfolio Manager) and Dr. Gerhard Dieterle (Senior Natural Resources Specialist) undertook an implementation …
Promoting, protecting, and conserving biodiversity in the Korab-Koritnik Nature Park, directly impacts and improves the livelihoods of local communities, as the …
This morning PONT was at the offices of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) in the Prespa National Park …
With the approval of the new 627.05 km2 National park, Shar Mountain, North Macedonia is the latest to offer the world …
All protected areas in the PONT Focus Region, currently eligible to receive PONT grants, have successfully completed the first phase of …
In an effort to continue coordinating transboundary conservation, the authorities of the Protected Areas (PA) in the Transboundary Prespa Park (TPP), …
Have you ever heard of the seven principles of Leave No Trace? Maybe yes, maybe not. But what do they mean? …
This week PONT hosted a KfW mission in Galicica National Park, North Macedonia. Janis Müller-Späth of the KfW office in Frankfurt, …
Resen Municipality is responsible for managing two protected areas, the Ezerani Nature Park (NP) and the Lake Prespa Monument of Nature. …
We are pleased to announce that the National Agency for Protected Areas (NAPA) and the (RAPA) Kukes, RAPA Shkoder, and RAPA …
At the start of the 2022 summer holiday season, the first Via Ferrata in Galicica National Park was opened. This new …
Reinout Vos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Albania and his wife visited Shebenik National Park on the 4th of June. The …
Back in March 2022, PONT launched a call for applications for locally based non-Governmental Organisations involved in conserving the Korab-Shara and …
The week of 23rd to the 25th May saw the PONT board visit Albania. We kicked off the visit with an …
On April 14 2022, PONT joined the journalists’ trip to German Development Cooperation (GDC) projects that contribute to improving people‘s living …
Together with representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, PONT visited the Shar Mountain National Park and Mavrovo National …
PONT provides much of the financing for the Society for the Protection of Prespa’s (SPP) 5-year strategic framework (2018-2022), a selection …
PONT had the honour to meet Mr. Naser Nuredini, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning (MOEPP) of North Macedonia, during his …
Bridging achievement with lessons learned is a crucial principle of PONT’s success and one that underpins its five-year cross-border work in …
The rich and important forest biodiversity of the Galicica Mountain was the principal reason for declaring it a National Park, back …
The Protected Areas (PAs) are the main pillars in PONT’s programme aiming at conserving nature for a sustainable future of the …
Early in 2021, the PONT Supervisory Board decided to start the process of expanding the operations of PONT to the Wider …
The Management Board of the Public Institution Galicica National Park formally approved the new Management Plan for Galicica National Park, for …
The implementation of the first programme for long-term monitoring of biodiversity in Galicica National Park goes back to 2011 and the …
As we all know 2020 has been a challenging year for the entire world but the COVID 19 pandemic has had …
During 2020, we continued working on the maintenance and signage of the network of hiking trails with the help of local …
PONT provides much of the financing for the Society for the Protection of Prespa’s (SPP) 5-year strategic framework (2018-2022), supporting its …
The two-year process for developing the new Management Plan for Galicica National Park for the 2021-2030 period culminated with a formal …
Three-year grants for all the Protected Area Authorities in the Wider Prespa Area in North Macedonia and Albania were recently launched …
The ongoing dramatic water level drop of Lake Prespa has prompted the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia …
The PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet has recently shared PONT’s experience in strengthening management effectiveness of protected areas in …
Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) aims to expand its work beyond the Prespa region to include protected areas within the Lake …
Following the successful completion of the first grant in August 2020, PONT and Resen Municipality continue their cooperation over the completion …
A formally approved Management Plan (MP), meeting PONT’s requirements laid out in the Framework Agreements with the governments of Albania and …
PONT aims to expand its work beyond the Prespa region to include other areas such as the Ohrid lake basin. With …
Since North Macedonia’s lockdown was lifted on 26 May 2020, Galicica National Park has been a popular destination for the people …
On 3 July the Korça Regional Administration for Protected Areas (RAPA) for Prespa National Park, Albania, met with PONT and the …
Following up on the previous full grant by PONT, the latest proposal from the National Agency for Protected Areas (NAPA) and …
PONT provides much of the financing for Society for the Protection of Prespa’s (SPP) 5-year strategic framework (2018-2022), supporting its core …
Improved staffing levels with sufficient technical and human capacity are critical elements required for improving the current management effectiveness of the Regional …
In December 2019 PONT signed a grant to the Public Institution Galicica National Park (PIGNP) to cover 50% of the total costs …
Since its launching in 2007 by WWF and the World Bank, the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) has become the world’s …
Water quality monitoring scientists from the three sides of the Prespa basin met in Stenje, in October 2019, to build on …
The Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid (HIO) and the Municipality of Resen in North Macedonia have recently formalised their partnership through the signing …
PONT provides most of the financing of the 5-year strategic framework (2018-2022) of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) …
The National Agency of Protected Areas (NAPA) and PONT have agreed on a follow-up grant for the Prespa National Park in …
PONT and Galicica National Park have been working together to create a video highlighting the recent reorientation undergone by the park …
On 24 May 2019, the European Day of Parks, the Prespa National Park in Albania offered a guided tour for the …
On 7 May 2019, PONT was honoured by the visit of Achim Mortier and Maren Kneller of the German Federal Ministry …
Since its establishment in 1958, the management of Galicica National Park (NP) has been funded through revenues generated from the park …
PONT provides most of the financing of the 5-year strategic framework (2018-2022) of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) …
Learn more about PONT, the Pathfinder Award, Panorama Solutions and financing conservation projects. share share share share
PONT has been selected, from over 200 submissions from around the world, as the winner of the 2018 Pathfinder Award that …
The objective of PONT as a co-funding instrument is to assist the management bodies of Protected Areas (PAs) in the Wider …
The German Government, through its Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the KfW Development Bank (KfW), has contributed …
PONT has been selected, from over 200 submissions, as the winner of the 2018 Pathfinder Award. The Award, which recognizes outstanding …
PONT recently facilitated a successful exchange between the Society for Protection of Prespa (SPP), GIZ CSBL (Conservation and Sustainable Use of …
PONT has recently engaged an international independent consultant, Jernej Stritih, to support Protected Area authorities in the Wider Prespa Area in …
A team from the 100 Villages Academy, focusing on villages in the region of Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, presented initial …
Joint initiatives for the Prespa region were presented in Tirana on 25 September 2018. The event brought together approximately 50 stakeholders, …
Signed on 3 September, the Regional Agency of Protected Areas (RAPA) Korçe applied for a planning grant in close consultation with …
A grant agreement between PONT and the Public Institution Galicica National Park (PIGNP) was signed on 3 August 2018, symbolizing the …
The official opening of the Macedonian Ecological Society’s (MES) new office in Resen took place on 9 July. Of great local …
The first Grant Agreement between PONT and the Municipality of Resen concerning the management of the Lake Prespa Monument of Nature …
Mirjam de Koning, Executive Director of PONT, and Amet Axhiu, Director of the Public Institution Pelister National Park (PIPNP) signed the …
https://youtu.be/RfobeHkYB50 share share share share
The Dutch Ambassador to Albania, Dewi van de Weerd, visited Greater Prespa Lake on 19 May 2018, where she enjoyed a …
The Supervisory Board of PONT recently conducted a tour of the Prespa-Ohrid ecoregion. This was a fantastic opportunity to further develop …
A ceremony was held on 14th of May in Skopje to mark the launching of PONT’s grants programmes in the Former …
Summer is nearly here and I’m so proud of all that we have achieved over the last few months. Since arriving …
21 February 2017, Tirana As announced I moved to Tirana in the second half of January to be closer to the relevant …
04 January 2017, Frankfurt am Main Prespa-Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) is pleased to announce that Mirjam de Koning has been named as …
The Prespa Ohrid Nature Fund (PONT) and Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) have embarked upon a combined services partnership which represents a …
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 …
Announcing the establishment of the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) With 11€ million in funding from the MAVA Foundation and KfW Development …