19 October 2018
19.10.2018- In these days when illegal logging in National Parks has intensified, the rangers of these protected areas have been fully engaged in monitoring the situation and preventing logging and damage to the natural values of the parks.
However, during fieldwork, the rangers are facing problems of various kinds, including physical attacks from groups of forest destroyers who have turned illegal logging and timber trading into a business.
Recent cases were those of yesterday, specifically the attack on the nature rangers of NP “Sharri” in the Suharekë region, Jemin Shala and Ali Dakaj, who were physically attacked by these organized groups and sustained bodily injuries, and the shooting directed at the nature rangers in the Kaçanik region.
Regarding both cases, the Kosovo Police and the State Prosecutor's Office have been informed and are investigating the cases. In this regard, the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, specifically the Directorate for the Administration of the "Sharri" National Park, requests that the competent authorities take all necessary measures as a priority to bring these individuals to justice. It is also requested that the necessary measures be taken to prevent such cases and to provide the necessary security for the rangers.
At the same time, it is requested from the responsible institutions of the Government of Kosovo, with the aim of preserving the resources of the National Parks, which have been declared by special law for the protection of these rare natural values, to consider the possibility of increasing the number of rangers, equipping them with weapons, and compensating for the occupational hazards.