Project title: Promoting sustainable land management through strengthening legal and institutional frameworks, capacity building, and the restoration of a most vulnerable mountain.
Geographical scope: North Macedonia
Time frame: Ongoing.
Partners:
- Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia
- UNEP/ROE (Vienna and Geneva Programme Office)
Co-financiers:
- Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia
- UN Environment Programme
- Zhelino Municipality
- Saraj Municipality
- Connecting Natural Values and People Foundation – CNVP North Macedonia
Contributions to SDGs:
- Goal 15 - LIFE ON LAND
- Target 15.3 - END DESERTIFICATION AND RESTORE DEGRADED LAND
Environmental challenge:
While all of North Macedonia is threatened by land degradation , the mountainous part of the country's North-West is considered to be most vulnerable. In August 2016, a state of emergency was declared in Skopje and the North-western regions of the country after 23 people died in flash floods caused by a storm. The Arachinovo-Strachintsi villages are affected mainly by flash floods and torrents from the surrounding mountain area. There were some attempts for afforestation in the past, but mostly unsuccessful due to the improper selection of species used. Due to the uncontrolled extensive forest exploitation and unsustainable agricultural practices, approximately 58 % of the Lipkovo Municipality is experiencing severe erosion.
According to the National Erosion Map, three municipalities (Saraj, Jegunovce and Zhelino) belong to Category II soil erosion. The area is characterized by extensive bare land due to extensive deforestation and erosion. In addition, Spring Rashce - the most significant source of drinking water, is located here, thus increasing this region's importance in terms of environment and human well-being.
Project:
The project objective is to develop and strengthen national policy and institutional capacity for sustainable land management, and to contribute to achieving the national land degradation neutrality target with integrated landscape management in the north-western mountainous ecosystems of North Macedonia.The project also aims to reduce the effects of land degradation and land-use pressures on natural resources in the mountain landscapes.
Component 1: Strengthened legal and institutional framework and capacity building for SLM and SFM
To evaluate the existing situtation, an analysis of the ongoing legal, institutional and capacity needs of the land management sector was conducted, as well as an ecosystems services valuation in the pilot sites in the North-Western of North Macedonia. Soil Protection Strategy and Guidelines for Establishing Soil Quality Monitoring Programme were subsequently developed. This project furthermore helped to strengthen local legislations on soil protection and “Local Environmental Action Plans” of targeted municipalities to include sustainable land management considerations and ecological approaches for erosion control.
Component 2: Implementation of sustainable land and forest management practices This component aims to increase practical experience and knowledge of sustainable land and forest management and facilitate uptake of measures, which will eventually lead to reductions in land degradation and enhance ecosystem services. The project focuses on soil erosion — one of the most dominant types of land degradation mainly caused by torrent rains, flooding and human activities, including poor agricultural practices, improper forest management, illegal logging and forest fires. The project covered three pilot sites in the most vulnerable mountain region, so that lessons could be drawn and best practices replicated and upscaled.
Component 3: Knowledge management and building public awareness.
The third component of the proposed Global Environment Facility project aims to improve the understanding of the benefits of sustainable land and forest management and land degradation neutrality practices in order to scale these up It will bring together the results of the project, more efficient approaches to rehabilitate degraded land, as well as sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality approaches by private sector land developers and users.
Any questions?
For more information, please contact:
Mrs. Sonja GEBERT
Associate Programme Management Officer
UNEP, Vienna Programme Office
Email address: sonja.gebert@un.org
Mrs. Iskra STOJANOVA
Project Coordination Specialist
UNEP, Vienna Programme Office
Email address: iskra.stojanova@un.org
