Protection and Sustainable Use of Protected Areas in Shar Mountain, Mavrovo and Korab–Koritnik

Project Overview

The project promoted effective and equitable governance of protected areas across the transboundary Sharr–Korab landscape, linking biodiversity protection with community participation and sustainable use of natural resources.

It brought together ALCDF, protected-area authorities and civil society organizations around a co-management approach aimed at increasing the ecological, economic and social benefits generated by protected areas.

What We Did

The project worked directly with protected-area management authorities, technical specialists, ranger teams, municipalities and local communities.

Activities strengthened institutional capacities, community participation and coordination among stakeholders while promoting joint responses to environmental threats and improved management of natural resources.

The intervention covered protected areas in Dibër and Kukës in Albania and the Shar and Mavrovo areas in North Macedonia, involving a broad landscape of municipalities, local government units and rural communities.

Key Contribution

The project strengthened cross-border environmental governance, participatory protected-area management and cooperation between institutions and communities.

It also created an important foundation for ALCDF's continued landscape-level conservation work in the Korab–Koritnik and wider Sharr–Korab region.