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Macedonia FYR

42 IPAs have been identified in Macedonia FYR and a pilot conservation project has been developed at the Shara Mountain IPA.

IPAs in macedonia

Macedonia (FYR) borders Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia and covers an area of almost 26,000 km² with mountain terrain in the west and east and lowland habitats in the centre. It lies within both the Alpine and the Continental biogeographic zones, but the valleys located deep in the Continental part have a strong Mediterranean influence.

Alshar IPA / Ljupco Melovski

Macedonia has a comparatively high level of local and Balkan endemic species, and relict species in the mountains, forests and “steppes” of the lowlands. 3.6% of the vascular flora is endemic including two bryophyte species and 114 vascular plant species and the percentage of Balkan endemic species is considerably greater. Although the flora is well studied, new species are often recorded. Many species reach the borders of their range in the territory and the diversity of plant communities is high.

Macedonia (FYR) has 42 Important Plant Areas, covering almost 18% of the country. Only 13 of these are protected at national level. Conservation measures within IPAs in national parks cover forests but not plant species.

Although Macedonia has ratified almost all conventions for biodiversity protection, the conservation status of plants and habitats is not favourable. Remarkably for such a unique flora, only eight Macedonian plant species are present on the EC Habitats Directive.

Forestry and stock based agriculture is the predominant land use in Macedonian IPAs. Poor forestry practices threaten 69% of sites, mostly at a high level. Wetlands are also particularly threatened and a third of IPAs suffer from water mismanagement, notably resulting from dams and hydropower units. The majority of IPAs are owned by the state but denationalisation is ongoing and private land owners will be important stakeholders in future conservation activities.

Fact-sheets for the Macedonian FYR IPAs are available on the IPA Online Database.

References:

  • MELOVSKI L., 2010, Important Plant Areas in the Republic of Macedonia. Special Issues of the Macedonian Ecological Society Vol. 9. Skopje. (In Macedonian).

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