wider Prespa area

From 8-12 July many stakeholders joined forces in the Wider Prespa Area to work on the implementation of Natura 2000. PONTs cooperation partner, the EU Twinning project, ‘Strengthening the capacities for effective implementation of the acquis in the field of nature protection’, organised the following events in Pelister NP (National Park) and Prespa Lake Monument of Nature: invertebrate inventory and monitoring training; habitat and vascular plant monitoring training; management …

Collaboration between governmental, scientific and civil society organizations is of critical importance for improving the quality and efficiency of natural resource management in the Wider Prespa Area, and for achieving the desired impact of PONT’s funding on biodiversity conservation. In line with priorities outlined in its 2017 Funding Strategy, PONT is supporting the Regional Administration for Protected Areas in Korca (RAPA), managing Prespa National Park in Albania, and the …

PONT recently engaged the Connecting Natural Values and People Foundation (CNVP) to prepare a report that assesses the opportunities and challenges related to non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the Wider Prespa Area. Contents of the report Fully endorsed by PONT, the report sets out a number of recommendations related to the collection, production, processing and marketing of NTFPs, taking into account input from a number of key stakeholders in …

On behalf of PONT, the Connecting Natural Values and People Foundation conducted an assessment of the opportunities, and associated challenges, for local small-scale production, processing and marketing of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the Wider Prespa Area in Albania and North Macedonia. The Foundation prepared a draft analysis, which summarizes findings from the review of past initiatives and actions, as well as interviews with numerous stakeholders. A number of …

The objective of PONT as a co-funding instrument is to assist the management bodies of Protected Areas (PAs) in the Wider Prespa Area (WPA) in improving the quality of their management. The progress on this objective is being measured by using the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), developed by WWF and the World Bank in 2002, and later amended in 2005 and 2007. The METT has two datasheets and …

The German Government, through its Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the KfW Development Bank (KfW), has contributed another €5 million to PONT’s core endowment fund. A signing ceremony was held on 15th November in the KfW offices in Frankfurt. A memorandum confirming KfW’s latest contribution was signed by Thomas Eisenbach, Head of Division; Frank Mörschel, Senior Project Manager at KfW; and PONT’s Executive Director, Mirjam …

PONT has recently engaged an international independent consultant, Jernej Stritih, to support Protected Area authorities in the Wider Prespa Area in enhancing their capacity for effective management of operations and assets. With a focus on co-financing operational costs of Protected Areas, PONT requires that the Protected Area authorities submit an updated annual operational plan, monitoring plan and budget as part of their grant applications. PONT’s Framework Agreements with the …

A Grant Agreement between PONT and the Public Scientific Institution Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid (HIO) was signed in Ohrid on 13 August 2018. The grant to HIO is part of PONT’s support to Environmental Actors that contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in the Wider Prespa Area (WPA), such as legally established NGOs, municipalities, academic or scientific institutions with a non-profit focus that are present and …

The Supervisory Board of PONT recently conducted a tour of the Prespa-Ohrid ecoregion. This was a fantastic opportunity to further develop understanding of the issues and challenges unique to the region, as well as to build upon and foster new relationships. Some highlights of the multi-faceted visit include: research and monitoring activities of the Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid, demonstrated aboard the Institute’s monitoring boat at Lake Ohrid; excursion in Galicica …

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 website and will be an important …