English - Convention on Biological Diversity

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COUNTRY STUDY FOR BIODIVERSITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
• The reduction of livestock and the gradual abandonment of traditional practices of
cattle management (i.e., widespread grazing in favour of feedlots). This practice
reduces the amount of carrion in the environment and may have already led to the
extinction of two vulture species.
• Fishing is a serious threat to fish diversity, especially in Ohrid Lake.
• In the transport sector, habitat fragmentation is an important threat to many
mammals, especially large ones. It has been the norm to use the cheapest proposed
alternative and abandon the ones that are the most appropriate for the undisturbed
existence of wild species.
• Energy sector - from several aspects, such as environmental pollution, construction
of hydropower reservoirs and transmission of energy.
• Industry and mining rank high on this list. Environmental pollution caused by
industry has declined over the past several years due to the reduction of the capacity
of industrial plants; however, in individual cases, pollution is growing as a result of
the use of low-quality fuels and non-functioning treatment systems - both a result of
a lack of financial resources. This sector causes the degradation of soils over large
areas through the activities of surface mining, slag deposits, technological waste
from smelting and energy complexes, industrial landfills of harmful and dangerous
wastes and failure to reclaim abandoned mining areas and landfills. Systems for the
treatment of waste gases and communal and industrial water do not exist and,
consequently, the quality of surface waters and groundwater worsens.
• Tourism, especially through illegal weekend settlements and unsolved communal
infrastructure in the main tourist lake and mountain centres. An important aspect is
the inappropriate behaviour of tourists when outdoors due to their low awareness of
natural sustainability.
• Civil engineering, through the use of highly productive agricultural land for nonagriculture-related
purposes, especially near cities and towns, and through the
abandonment of cultivated lands, resulting in a loss of agricultural production. Even
so, this sector can not be ranked highly.
7.5. Constraints to conservation
• A lack of a strategy for high quality conservation of biological diversity.
• The National Environmental Action Plan is now outdated.
• Legislation is not harmonised with that of the EU.
• Insufficient implementation of the existing legislation on biological diversity.
• Inefficient inspections.
• Inefficient judicial system.
• Implementation of the provisions of the signed and ratified conventions related to
biodiversity is insufficient.
• Implementation of the principle of sustainable development and sustainable use of
natural resources is neglected.
• Responsibilities overlap within the governmental Ministries of the Republic of
Macedonia.
• Long-term and short-term plans with defined priorities for activities leading to
biodiversity conservation do not exist.
• Continuous monitoring of biological diversity and habitats harmonised with
European and world standards does not exist.