21 May 2021
21.05.2021 - The Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection, as the central institution responsible for researching and recording natural values, has recently conducted the recording of a natural value – the habitat of the endemic species Forsythia europaea (Boshtra), which is found on Golesh Hill, an area that encompasses the territory of the municipalities of Fushë-Kosovo, Drenas, and Lipjan.
According to the Law on Nature Protection (No. 03/L-233), preparing the professional justification of natural values is the responsibility and duty of the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection. After the preparation of the professional justification by the working group composed of representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MMPHI), the University of Prishtina, and those from the respective municipalities, the assemblies of these three municipalities, within a very short period, issued decisions declaring their territories separately as natural monuments.
The total area of this zone is 123.54 ha (51.92 ha in the Municipality of Fushë Kosova, 38.42 ha in the Municipality of Drenas, and 33.2 ha in the Municipality of Lipjan).
The data presented in the professional justification were collected from the archives of the Institute for Nature Protection and the respective municipalities, but in particular are part of field visits and research expeditions carried out by the Working Group in cooperation with experts in the relevant fields.
Forsythia europaea Deg.et Bald. (Boshtra) is a woody plant – shrub, endemic and a tertiary relict of Kosovo and Albania. This species in Kosovo grows in rocky–serpentine places, forming rare forests or shrubs. This species is listed in the Red Book of Vascular Flora of Kosovo in the category LC (least concern) because, at the moment, the species is not threatened to the extent of being placed in a higher category. The habitats where this species grows are also rich in other endemic and relict species that have scientific importance. For more information, see: Professional rationale for the protection of the area.