All Along The Watch Towers In The Balkan Peninsula

All Along The Watch Towers In The Balkan Peninsula

Geneva, Switzerland, 10 June, 2009 (IUCN) – A guide on how to preserve shared natural heritage in the border region of Albania, Kosovo* and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been published today by IUCN.

The south-western part of the Balkan Peninsula is a global hotspot for biodiversity. A long-term trespassing ban in the border region allowed wildlife to flourish. The area is home to rare plant species and large European carnivores such as brown bears, wolves and lynx.

“These border areas represent some of the last intact natural sites in Europe,” says co-author Tomasz Pezold, of IUCN’s Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe. “Cooperation of border police and nature conservation authorities can help prevent illegal activities that damage natural resources. Such cooperation can also help mitigate tensions and re-establish friendly neighbourly relations. It’s a win-win situation”.

The field guide, All Along the Watch Towers, is the outcome of a project run by IUCN and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) within the European Green Belt Initiative. It brought together local communities, border police and conservationists.

The guide, which contains accounts of species found in the region, is designed for border police who will encounter the animals in their work. In some parts of the border region they are the only people with access to these habitats.

The authors hope the border police will use the field guide to report on the species occurring in the border region and monitor illegal activities, such as logging and fires, which may threaten them.

“The book is just the beginning,” says co-author Andrea Strauss, of IUCN’s Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe. “This was the first project of its kind in the Balkans. We managed to initiate cooperation and exchange of information between the border police, nature conservation organizations and local communities, which had never existed before. We’ve now got a network and a base for future cooperation. The next step will be to formalize this”.

To read the full report, please visit: http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2009-008.pdf

ENDS

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