16 September 2010
On the occasion of marking International Ozone Day, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, respectively the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, promoted the State of Nature Report 2008-2009. The report was prepared within the framework of the duties and responsibilities that this institution has in the process of reporting on the state of the environment and on the state of the main environmental sectors.
Deputy Minister of MESP, Mr. Idriz Vehapi, in his speech on this occasion emphasized, among other things, that this report is primarily a document that shows the general state of nature and biodiversity in Kosovo. However, moreover, this publication is a reflection of the state of protected areas, important plant and animal species, problems, needs, and challenges that await us in the future.
The resolution of these problems remains among the priorities that the MMPH aims to achieve in the future together with other governmental and non-governmental institutions and with research-scientific institutions, highlighted, among other things, Deputy Minister Vehapi in his speech. Meanwhile, officials of AMMK emphasized that despite the commitments and activities so far, Kosovo still has significant problems in biodiversity protection, among which should be highlighted: the lack of a complete inventory of plant and animal species, the absence of a red list of rare, endangered, and extinct species, the lack of management and development plans for protected areas, as well as the absence of management bodies for some protected areas.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development, Environment, and Spatial Planning, Mr. Naser Rugova, has announced the work being done by this committee, respectively the Assembly of Kosovo, in completing the legal framework for the protection of nature and biodiversity, as well as aligning it with European Union Directives.
The publication of the Report on the State of Nature 2008-2009 was also supported by UNDP. UNDP representatives confirmed that they will continue to cooperate with the MMPH in the future and announced the publication of a joint environmental informational bulletin.
The promotion was also attended by other representatives of government and non-government institutions, who have specific responsibilities in the nature sector.