The Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova, had a welcoming speech at the official opening event of the IPA project “Support to Forestry Reforms in North Macedonia”, which is financed by the European Union. The goal of the project is the realization of the necessary reforms in the forestry sector, in order to harmonize the legal and institutional setting of our country in relation to the requirements of the European Union.
Shukova explained that the need to protect forests in Europe is confirmed in the new EU Forest Strategy 2030, which aims to support the socio-economic functions of forests for the prosperity of rural areas and foster a sustainable forest-based bio-economy. The strategy also aims to protect, revitalize and increase the area under forests in the European Union, in order to combat climate change, restore biological diversity and ensure resilient and multi-purpose forest ecosystems.
- I would like to mention that in addition to the fact that the Ministry of Environment in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy has already carried out the identification of forests with high natural values, in order to ensure the protection of biological diversity through the identification of key forest habitats with preserved biological diversity and preparation of guidelines for forest management for two selected areas – pointed out Minister Shukova.
She added that apart from the Law on Forests, the need to protect forest ecosystems derives from the Law on Nature Protection and from strategic development documents, such as the National Strategy for Nature Protection with Action Plan (2017-2027) and the National Strategy for biodiversity for the period (2018-2023), as well as from the implementation of the EU Directives on habitats and birds.
- In parallel with these processes, the MOEPP also implements activities for the harmonization of national legislation and the fulfillment of obligations according to EU Directives. I will mention the current directive on habitats and birds, that is, the identification of potential areas for the ecological network Natura 2000, the largest part of which also includes forest ecosystems in our country– Shukova said.
At the event, the EU ambassador to the country, David Geer, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Еconomy, Ljupco Nikolovski and the dean of the Faculty of Forestry, Kiril Sotirovski, also had their speeches.