18 December 2013
18/12/2013 - The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) organized today a conference on the topic Biodiversity as an asset for economic development. The Deputy Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ferat Shala, and the head of AMMK, Ilir Morina, also participated in this conference. On this occasion, the Red Book of Vascular Flora of the Republic of Kosovo was also promoted.
The Deputy Minister of the MMPH, Ferat Shala, in his speech said that this book has been in the plans of the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection since the establishment of the MMPH, due to the fact that it was a necessary need to know the status and threats to certain parts of Kosovo's flora, which are considered of special importance. With the completion of this book, a real overview has been created of the state of important species of Kosovo's vascular flora, their level of endangerment, the main factors and causes that have influenced their vulnerability. This book will serve as a guide not only for the MMPH but also for all other scientific institutions, NGOs, and researchers in general, to work on preventing negative impacts and other threats from which the species of Kosovo's flora are now at risk of extinction, Shala said among other things.
He also thanked GIZ for the close cooperation with MMPH and for the continuous support in the implementation of various projects in the field of nature protection and sustainable use of natural resources. Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Kosovo, Peter Blomeyer, said that Kosovo is still feeling the destructive consequences of industrialization due to infrastructure construction. He considered these developments important, however, he noted that the Red Book represents the basis for further development for the protection of Kosovo's flora.