Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia have signed an agreement on a common protected area, creating Europe’s largest cross-border park, spanning over 240,000 hectares.
The Minister of Infrastructure of Kosovo, Liburn Aliu, the Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro and the Minister of Environment in North Macedonia, Naser Nuredini, signed the memorandum for the creation of a common protected area which includes Korab-Koritniku, Sharri, Mavrova and Mali i Sharri.
“Convinced that an international agreement is essential for the preservation of outstanding environmental, economic, scientific, cultural and aesthetic values for present and future generations, with the main goal of developing, promoting, managing and preserving our transboundary protected areas,” Kumbaro said at the signing.
“We see protected areas as providing benefits across borders – beyond their borders on a map, beyond the borders of nation-states – between the societies and generations that live in these areas. These mountain ranges serve as an ecological corridor, which houses a large number of important species of plants and animals, not only at the regional level but also at the European and international level,” she added.
According to the Albanian authorities, this project aims at the joint cross-border development of nature-friendly tourism, management of the region and the joint promotion of the special natural and cultural heritage across borders.
Korab-Koritnik Nature Park in Albania, Sharri National Park in Kosovo and Mavrova National Park and Sharri Mountains National Park in North Macedonia will be part of a cross-border park.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
