The Fifth Meeting of the Regional Expert Advisory Working Group (REAWG) on Sustainable Forestry Management is organized in a period 13-15 November, 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia.
The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in collaboration with GFA Consulting Group GmbH and IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH continues its active support for the policy dialogue on Sustainable Forest Management in the Western Balkans. This initiative operates under the framework of the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG RRD) platform, which aims to foster regional cooperation and capacity-building.
The Regional Expert Advisory Working Group on Sustainable Forest Management (REAWG on SFM) was established in 2022 to promote SFM approaches and support the improvement of the forest policy framework in the WB countries/territories towards Close to Nature Forest Management. The REAWG on SFM carried out an Assessment of the Status Quo on forestry in WB countries/territories in 2023 identifying critical gaps and challenges.
Purpose of the Initiative „Sustainable Forest Management in the Western Balkans“:
- Facilitating regional and national policy dialogues to coordinate a comprehensive approach to sustainable forest management in the region
- Strengthening the policy framework for sustainable forest management in the Western Balkans regarding implementation of the EU Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and the EU Forest Strategy for 2030.
- Capacity building for the members of the REAWG on SFM is strengthened through a formal dialogue process, the exchange of professional experience and knowledge transfer including on-line and physical events
Focus area for the work period 2024/25 are:
- Forest adaptation/mitigation policy assessment related to climate change in the Western Balkans and Moldova
- Integrating Forest Biodiversity into sectoral policies and practices in the Western Balkans and Moldova.
The meeting concluded with a sense of shared purpose and commitment to advancing sustainable forest management and biodiversity preservation. Participants emphasized the importance of continued collaboration, knowledge sharing, and actionable steps to address the challenges posed by climate change and forestry policies. Gratitude was expressed to all attendees for their valuable contributions, with a focus on turning the discussed plans, such as the study tour and virtual forestry school, into impactful outcomes. The session ended with encouragement to maintain momentum and strengthen partnerships for future endeavors.
AL_CCA in Forestry_Leonidha Peri
BiH, FBiH_CCA in Forestry_Bruno Maric
RS,BIH_CCA in Forestry_Dragan Comic
KOS_CCA in Forestry_Faruk Bojaxhi
NMK_CCA in Forestry_Nikolco Velkovski and Ivan Blinkov
MNE_CCA in Forestry_Ranko Kankaras
Forestry and climate change_12112024_NP1
Blinkov, Nikolco – CCA in Forestry (North Macedonia)
HessenForst_Climate_Change_Torsten Moelmann
ALB_FB in Forestry_Leonidha Peri
BiH, FBiH_FB in Forestry_Bruno Maric
RS,BIH_FB in Forestry_Boris Markovic
KOS_FB in Forestry_Faruk Bojaxhi
NMK_FB in Forestry_Nikolco Velkovski and Ivan Blinkov
MNE_FB in Forestry Montenegro_Ranko Kankaras
SER_FB in Forestry_Nenad Petrovic
HessenForst_BioDiv_Torsten Moelmann
Virtual Forestry School_Manfred Fisher
