Other activities - Forest preservation

Project title: Preserve the forest – invest in the future

Project description: The project aimed to improve the cooperation of stakeholders in reducing illegal logging as well as preserving the forests as a natural treasure of the Republic of Macedonia. The project implementation involved: NGOs from the region, municipalities, institutions directly involved in the issue of illegal logging as well as interested citizens from the southeast region.
Four monitoring teams were established to monitor several institutions in the southeast region. The team members attended workshops on the development of methodologies where the institutions and municipalities to be monitored were identified. The trained teams began to collect information and data on the status of illegal logging and destruction of the forests, and reports were produced with conclusions and recommendations. In consultation with a relevant expert, the reports were summarized in a final monitoring report presented at 3 press conferences.
The project team together with partners, representatives of relevant institutions and members of several urban and local communities in the southeast region selected locations where the joint activities will be carried out. A logo, motto and mascot of the activity as well as an eco-forest Manifesto were produced inviting the citizens to get involved and say STOP to the illegal logging and destruction of forests.
Joint activities were carried out in three different locations across the southeast region simultaneously. Each activity began with the Mascot reading the Manifest. Trees were planted at the degraded locations. In the end, the children from the schools presented exhibitions, performed a play on the topic of forest preservation - stop for the illegal logging thus sending a message to all the activity participants and more. This marked the official closing of the activities. In the books displayed the citizens were able to give their own comments, remarks, suggestions, recommendations for future activities.
Project results: strengthened capacities of eco-NGO from the region for monitoring the relevant institutions, recommendations provided to relevant institutions for improvement of the status of illegal logging and destruction of forests, network established among NGOs from the region, strategy developed for joint events and activities of the involved NGOs in the region, citizens actively involved in the activity for protection of the forests.
Other involved in the project implementation: NGOs from the region (Association “Javor” – Nov Dojran; Ekumena – Vasilevo; Vinozhito – Shtip).

Implementation period: September, 2012 – October, 2013

Donor: USAID, Open Society Foundation