28 July 2012 - The Executive Chief of Kosovo's Environment Protection Agency (KEPA), Dr. sc. Ilir Morina participated at international symposium "Evolution of Biodiversity in Balkans", organized by the Zagreb University, Croatia. At the two day event, botanists, zoologists and different experts of nature protection and palaeontologists have exchanged views and discussed evolution models and spatial diversity in Balkan Peninsula.

 

The symposium was a good opportunity for the participants from the region of exchanging views and enhance cooperation aimed at joint approach for the protection and preservation of biodiversity in the Balkans.  The socio-economic changes during the last decades which have caused loses and degradation of many habitats in the region, give a new dimension for scientific researches aimed at protection and preservation of the biodiversity, participants concluded.

 

At the symposium, KEPA presented the report "Situation of biodiversity in Kosovo 2006-2011", which focuses on the situation and the threats against the biodiversity in our country. The Balkan Peninsula is known as a hot-spot of European biodiversity because of its geographic position, topographic complexity, climate and geologic aspects and relatively high stability of the environment throughout geologic history.

 

The symposium was organized as part of the project "Biodiversity evolution and preservation of autochthonous plant species of Balkan Peninsula " (BalkBioDiv) and was  financed by the European Union. At the margins of the symposium, KEPA's Executive Chief, Dr. sc. Ilir Morina among others met with his Croatian counterpart, Dr. sc. Neven Voća. Morina and Voća agreed for closer cooperation between the agencies of the two countries.