The CNVP North Macedonia team, together with representatives from the Shar and Mavrovo National Parks, and several of our sub-grantees supported through the CNVP/PONT project, has begun a study visit to the beautiful Gesäuse National Park in Austria.

The first day was already filled with inspiring meetings. Our team had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Herbert Wölger, Director of Gesäuse National Park, who gave us a brief presentation on the park's history, main activities, and areas of focus. He introduced the park’s educational program, the monitoring of endemic species, and the Gesäuse partnership program. We also had the opportunity to learn about the park’s organizational structure and financing model. Following the presentation, a session of questions and discussion was held with the participants.

At the end of the meeting, the Director of CNVP North Macedonia, Mr. Nehat Ramadani, as a token of appreciation for the warm hospitality and informative presentation, presented the park director with organic mountain tea, produced by one of our grant recipients.

The purpose of this study visit is to encourage knowledge exchange and mutual learning — giving our national park representatives and local community members the opportunity to see how their EU counterparts tackle challenges and manage protected areas. The goal is to bring back inspiration and practical ideas that can be applied locally.

This study visit is part of the project "Sustainable Use of Natural Resources of Korab-Koritnik, Shar, and the Albanian Alps", implemented by CNVP and financially supported by Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust - PONT.