Donor: SIDA / WWF Adria
Duration: 4 years
Protected Areas for Nature and People II (PA4NP II) built on the achievements of Phase I and translated them into concrete management, planning, and institutional actions. Implemented by Ecopana, the project addressed Germia Protected Landscape, Sharr National Park, and other protected areas under increasing urban, construction, and tourism pressure.
Key activities included organising a national workshop on Germia challenges, drafting urgent management and planning recommendations, preparing the Draft Management Plan for Germia together with the Municipality of Prishtina, and close cooperation with professors, architects, ecologists, municipal and national institutions. The project supported investigative journalism, public campaigns such as Run for Sharr, local CSO mini-grants, and targeted trainings for protected area management.
A visible public outcome was the installation of educational and informational signage along two thematic trails in Germia: the 4 km Turtle Trail and the 8.8 km Bear Trail, strengthening environmental education, visitor awareness, and sustainable use of the area.
The project resulted in institutionally accepted recommendations, delivery of the Draft Management Plan to the Municipality of Prishtina, increased awareness of protected area degradation, strengthened local professional capacities, and reinforced community involvement in nature conservation.
Also, Through the PA4NP programme, Ecopana was a co-founder of Coalition 27, together with several civil society organisations in Kosovo. Coalition 27 was established as a national platform to advocate for the alignment of Kosovo’s environmental and climate policies with the EU acquis under Chapter 27. As part of this work, Ecopana and Coalition 27 prepared and published Kosovo’s first Shadow Report on environment and climate, providing an independent civil society assessment of policy gaps, implementation challenges, and institutional performance. The report was formally presented to national stakeholders, decision-makers, and EU offices, strengthening policy dialogue and accountability in the EU integration process.
