“PONT Connect” Strategy officially launches.

The aim of PONT Connect is to “improve the conservation of ecosystem connectivity and the sustainable co-management of ecological corridors thereby maintaining and enhancing linkages between cross-border protected areas”.

The south-western Balkans is one of Europe’s most biologically diverse regions. In this region, the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) has a long-established track record of supporting diverse protected areas regarded as the fundamental building blocks of national conservation strategies. However, the region’s protected areas are increasingly threatened by infrastructure development, agriculture, urbanisation, tourism, pollution, and climate change, leading to habitat fragmentation and isolation. In response to these challenges, PONT launched the “PONT Connect” programme.

The PONT Connect Strategy is a living document which draws upon literature review and inputs by the NGOs who piloted interventions in key ecological corridors of this biodiverse rich and relatively untouched part of the European Green Belt. The aim of this strategy is to frame “PONT Connects” approach on connectivity conservation in the south-western Balkans, providing clarity to its implementing partners and other stakeholders, including donors and governmental partners.

The “bridging” and facilitation of learning and exchange by PONT Connect between countries, NGOs / civil society organisations (CSOs), universities and/or researchers and academia, and national and local governments will contribute to EU approximation and an improved understanding of the biodiversity importance and socio-economic potential of connectivity conservation contributing to the global and EU ‘30×30’ targets. Finally, scaling by linking bottom-up approaches with more strategic level top-down interventions will be made possible due to early planning for it. By promoting sustainable resource use and community engagement, the strategy supports climate adaptation, ecosystem stability, and global conservation targets.

Excerpt from the PONT Connect Strategy – Mirjam de Koning, Executive Director, Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust

The full strategy is available here: PONT Connect Strategy

Funding from the Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Fonds Francais Pour L’Environment Mondial (FFEM), and the Bellagio Residency/ Rockefeller Foundation contributed to the PONT Connect strategy development. This was based on inputs from pilot grants financed by KFW/BMZ, and other private donors in the Connectivity Conservation Areas (CCAs).