27 July 2012
27.07.2012- The Chief of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Ilir Morina, participated in the International Symposium "The Evolution of Biodiversity in the Balkans," organized by the University of Zagreb in Croatia. The symposium aimed to bring together botanists, zoologists, nature conservation experts, and paleontologists to exchange and discuss models of evolution and the spatial diversification of biota in the Balkan Peninsula. This two-day event managed to showcase the latest scientific achievements through the presented papers.
This Symposium not only offered a forum for discussing new findings, but also provided an opportunity for collaboration and exchange of ideas in order to bridge the gap between different research fields and initiate an integrated approach to the study and preservation of Balkan biodiversity. However, socio-economic changes in recent decades have led to the loss and degradation of many habitats in this region. This issue gives a new dimension to scientific research, making it a fundamental tool for the conservation and protection of biodiversity.
Kosovo was represented at this Symposium with the paper: “The State of Biodiversity in Kosovo 2006-2011,” in which the status of biodiversity was presented along with relevant data held by the Agency, namely the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection, as well as the threats to these natural values.
The Balkan Peninsula has long been known as one of the hotspots of European biodiversity and endemism. The reasons for this rich diversity are the geographical position of the Balkans, the topographic complexity, the climatic and geological aspects, as well as the relatively high environmental stability throughout geological history. The important role of the Balkans as one of the main Pleistocene refugia for the postglacial colonization of Europe is recognized in many recent phylogenetic and phytogeographic studies. This symposium, which includes all groups of organisms, explores new perspectives in the biogeography of the Balkans across spatial and temporal levels.
This symposium was organized within the framework of the project "Evolution of biodiversity as well as the conservation of native plant species of the Balkan Peninsula" (BalkBioDiv) and was funded by the EU. The symposium took place from June 28-30, 2012, and was followed by an excursion to Mount Snježnik (Risnjak National Park). On this occasion, the Chief of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Ilir Morina, also held a meeting with the Chief of the Croatian Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Neven Voća, with whom he discussed cooperation and the exchange of experiences between the two institutions.