14 November 2025
The Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, through the Institute for Nature Protection of Kosovo, organized a workshop entitled “The Importance and Challenges of Designating Mount Mokna and Lake Gazivode as a Protected Area – Nature Park”, with the aim of discussing the scientific, legal, and institutional aspects of this important process for nature protection in Kosovo.
In addition to KEPA, representatives of the Department of Environment of MESPPI, the Institute for Spatial Planning, the River Basin District Authority, the Kosovo Forest Agency, the Kosovo Police, the Ministry of Defence, and the Municipality of Istog participated in the workshop. Discussions focused on the importance of designating this new protected area for the conservation of biodiversity and natural values, the policies of the Government of Kosovo and MESPPI for nature protection, challenges in managing the area, and inter-institutional cooperation throughout the process of studying, designating, and managing this protected area.
The workshop also presented the work carried out so far in researching the natural values of Mount Mokna and Lake Gazivode, which has been initiated by local experts within the contracted company. At the same time, the need for relevant institutions to provide the necessary data was emphasized.
The workshop was considered an important step towards coordinating inter-institutional actions, with the aim of ensuring that the designation of the “Mount Mokna and Lake Gazivode” protected area is carried out in accordance with the legal, environmental, and development standards of the Republic of Kosovo.
We recall that several weeks ago, following a proposal by the Institute for Nature Protection of Kosovo, the MESPPI Minister issued a decision on the preliminary protection of this area.