The public institution Sharr Mountain National Park and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, today at the University of Tetova conducted a public debate regarding the Draft Management Plan of the Sharr Mountain National Park for the period 2022-2031 and the Draft Report for the Strategic Environmental Assessment for Draft Management Plan of Sharr Mountain National Park for the period 2022-2031.

The Director of the Sharr Mountain National Park Public Institution, Ibrahim Dehari, initially focused on the most discussed activities with the public, starting with the constructions in the park, even if they are expected to be outside the settlements or outside the villages. “About this issue has been discussed with all the municipalities that are included in the National Park, where we will make an inventory of all the constructions, and then we will act according to the legal rules. Within NP Sharr Mountain we have functional and licensed hydropower plants, but they will be required to respect the biological minimum regarding the issue of water, including the Sharr Waters- The Sharski Vodi (the channel that collects the water to Mavrovo), where they will also have to respect the biological minimum. We have the category of hydropower plants that are in the procedure for obtaining permits and the category where there are new requirements, where we can emphasize that those that are active will continue normally with observance of the rules, while there will be no new ones”, said the Director of Public Institution Sharr Mountain National Park, Ibrahim Dehari.

He also spoke on the issue of illegal activities, with special emphasis on the opportunities for the protection and development of the National Park through this management plan. “The most discussed activities are considered: The need for timber and illegal logging; Hunting for the wild world; Harvesting, gathering of mountain plants and fruits; Livestock and its development opportunities; Biodiversity – its preservation and development; Erosion and opportunities for prevention; Development of mass tourism; The development of alternative tourism and agriculture as a development opportunity”, said the Director of the Public Institution Sharr Mountain National Park, Ibrahim Dehari.

Regarding the harvesting of plants and fruits, he said that the Park will provide companies for the collection of the same to ensure the market. “At the same time, the Park is expected to certify and brand the products that come out of the Park Areas. As far as it is concerned hunting, in the National Park, hunting will be prohibited except for hunting and with certain permits. As for the needs of the wooden mass and their cutting, it will be done according to the plans that will be prepared by the experts in the relevant field. The payment or fee will be 40%-50% cheaper than before, but it will be prohibited for industrial/commercial cutting, and it will be allowed for the needs of resident inhabitants and all non-resident inhabitants will be able to use it., but who have their properties inside the National Park. Sanitation cutting will be also present. As for the waste or wild dumps in NP Sharr Mountain, we emphasize that now the large landfills within NPSHM have been cleaned by the Ministry of Environment, after this cleaning we have taken the necessary steps and are in constant contact with the municipalities that are included in the National Park. in setting up a system for the collection and management of waste for places where until now there has been no regular collection and management of waste”, said the Director of the Public Institution Sharr Mountain National Park, Ibrahim Dehari.

In this activity was present also the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Naser Nuredini, who said that today it is very important to talk with the citizens and relevant parties about the management of the national park. “We don’t want to create a museum, but a new, sustainable economy in the national park area. The idea of the National Park is to regulate the management of forests and various activities in the National Park. Until the plan for the management of Sharr Mountain to pass, then we will have a plan for the maintenance of the forests in the National Park. In today’s debate, we will have citizens, economic activities where we will talk and debate about the future choice and management”, said among other things the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Naser Nuredini.

This event was honored with her presence by the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Infrastructure of the Republic of Kosovo, Linda Çavdarbasha, who said that it is quite challenging to manage such a large area and focused on joint projects that can be conducted for the preservation and development of the National Park. “From the director’s presentation, I understood that you have started to have very good projects in environmental protection in just one year. It is very important that all attention is focused on protecting Sharr Mountain. Let’s develop different projects together and with cross-border cooperation. One of the projects that we as the ministry will start soon, which is financed by Global Conversation with co-financing from our ministries, which is very important especially for the monitoring of the Sharr Mountain National Park, from the illegal constructions that take place inside it. We are at a stage where together with your ministry we will develop other projects, including the platform for monitoring wild animals, this platform will include all the Dinaric Alps, where you are also part of it and I believe that this the platform will contribute to the conservation and preservation of wild animals, considering that animals have no borders, despite everything they can cross from Kosovo to Macedonia, Albania and the whole region”, said the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Planning Physical and Infrastructure of the Republic of Kosovo, Linda Çavdarbasha.

The Draft Management Plan of the Sharr Mountain National Park for the period 2202-2031 is available on the MEPH website at the following link in the Albanian language: https://bit.ly/3QzIVuA and the Draft Report for the Strategic Environmental Assessment for The Draft Plan for the Management of the National Park for the period 2022-2031 it can be founded in at the link: https://bit.ly/3QjFQPt.