Struga and Debar, 5 May 2025 – As part of the project "Integrated Forest Management Along the Cross-Border Drin River Basin", a field visit was organized to meet with key stakeholders and sub-grantees supported by CNVP North Macedonia in the regions of Struga and Debar.

The visit was attended by Mr. Nehat Ramadani, Director of CNVP North Macedonia; Mr. Matthias Humenberger, Deputy Ambassador of the Austrian Embassy in North Macedonia; Mr. David Muckenhuber, Head of the Office in Albania at the Austrian Development Agency (ADA); and Ms. Astrid Taus, Project Manager from ICEP Austria.

During the visit, the delegation met with successful sub-grantees of the IFM (Integrated Forest Management) project, including:

• SKY WALK 2020 – Struga, an outdoor sports club promoting eco-tourism and adventure sports such as paragliding, hiking, camping, and skiing. Through the grant, paragliding equipment was provided.
• Pereski Workshop from Struga, a family-run business producing a unique and medicinal product – cold-pressed hazelnut oil. With project support, they acquired a specialized cold-pressing machine.
• Qoku Honey from Debar, a family business producing organic honey. The grant enabled them to purchase modern beekeeping equipment.

Additionally, together with the Mayor of Debar Municipality, Mr. Hekuran Duka, and the Head of the local NFA (National Forestry Agency) office in Strogovo, the delegation visited the reforestation site in the area of Tatar Elevci, Debar. There, reforestation of erosion-prone land was carried out along with the installation of protective shrub barriers.

The "Integrated Forest Management Along the Cross-Border Drin River Basin" project is implemented by CNVP North Macedonia in partnership with CNVP Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro, and the Austrian development NGO ICEP – Association for Global Development. The project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).