Working with nature, not against it

Rrahim Zeqiri, now the head of the Association of Charcoal Producers in Llabjan, Novobërdë/Novo Brdo, has been working with wood forests for over 35 years. Growing up in a mountainous area, his connection to the mountain is both spiritual and economical. Like more than 20 more families in his village, himself and his families have found ways to turn their environment into a source of income. Despite his lack of formal education, he always dreamt of working in forestry, as he puts it “I have always loved the forest and dreamt of professionally working in forestry, however, due to a lack of proper education, my dream was never fulfilled”. In 2015, at his own initiative, Mr. Zeqiri started, as he says, “to clean forests,” which is a method of collecting thinned branches and deadwood and using them to produce charcoal that is mainly used for heating in domestic economies.  

 

However, throughout all this time, with the mission to use the forest while not damaging it, he had one wish, to have a professional assessing whether he was damaging the forest or not. This brought him to contact with local authorities and fundamentally with the team of the EU Funded project “Support on Strengthening Sustainable and Multipurpose Forest Management to Address Climate Change and Improve Rural Livelihoods in Kosovo,”  through which his intention is to bring together all the other families working in charcoal production, and to collaborate with state authorities to not only clean private forests, but also public forests.  

 

Community initiatives like his, in places where, “many of the families rely on social assistance and worry that a formal regulation such as this will prevent them from working,” are always a challenge. However, Rrahim is convinced that working together for cleaner and healthier forests, while making good use of them,” is beneficial for everyone and he is committed to bringing more locals together around this initiative.   

 

Similarly to Rrahim in Novobërdë/Novo Brdo, Kumrije Kadriu in the village of Vrellë of the Municipality of Istog, is trying to gather women who are already making use of forests’ goods to provide for themselves, into a more organised and sustainable initiative. Kumrije is the head of the Melissa Association, which was initially founded as a Beekepers’ Association, but as she puts it, they “soon realised the potential in gathering plants like herbs and berries from the mountains”. The income from selling these products helps many of the women supplement their household income, particularly in a region where job opportunities for women are scarce.  

 

Living in a region surrounded by mountains, for Kumrije and her fellows it was almost a natural thing to collect raw herbs and berries in the mountains for domestic use. Seeing the potential of this activity, they started looking into opportunities to turn this into a profitable business that will benefit women of the region. However, up to now, they were only able to collect and dry the herbs and berries, making it difficult for them to launch their products in the current market. For Kumrije and her fellows, the machine that allows them to package their herbs, adds significant value to their products and has changed everything.

Kumrije explains that their intention is to create a sustainable network of women collectors which will also be their supply chain and they will buy the collected herbs and berries from women who are already collecting them, with a competitive price as to contribute to the market’s competitiveness, which is something that women of the community will benefit mostly from.  

Both Rrahim and Kumrije’s efforts are part of a larger initiative aimed at improving rural livelihoods while ensuring the sustainability of Kosovo’s forests. The EU-supported project has worked in multiple regions, focusing on sustainable forest management practices, reducing illegal logging, and promoting the use of non-timber forest products like the herbs Kumrije and her fellows gather. 

Stories like Kumrije and Rrahim’s are just a few among many success stories of individuals, families and communities who have directly benefited from the EU funded and FAO [Food and Agriculture Organisation] implemented project “Support on Strengthening Sustainable and Multipurpose Forest Management to Address Climate Change and Improve Rural Livelihoods in Kosovo”. 

Aligning with international standards and best practices, emphasising the balanced integration of environmental, social and economic functions within forest ecosystems, four forest management plans have been completed using a new methodology that shifts the focus from traditional wood value management to an ecosystem-based approach.  

It is their holistic approach that makes these plans especially significant, not only for communities and direct beneficiaries, but for policymakers as well. These plans offer layered and wide knowledge on forest management, which considers the broader ecosystem services provided by forests, including biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and community benefits including non-wood forest products. Expected to be implemented by the Kosovo Forest Agency in the near future, this new methodology of preparing management plans will mark a significant improvement in the country’s forest management practices, enhancing forest sustainability, contribute to climate change mitigation efforts, and promote the well-being of local communities. 

As part of programme activities, a total of 128 hectares of forest have been successfully afforested. The program also emphasized the involvement of the local community in these activities, particularly within the pilot management units. This engagement provided community members with hands-on experience in planting techniques, and they also benefited financially from their participation. Whereas challenges to good forest management in Kosovo remain still, with illegal logging remaining one of the pressing issues, it is thanks to the programme’s holistic approach and intervention on many levels – from working directly with individuals living in mountain areas not only to educate them how to properly use the goods provided by the mountain, but also how to turn them into profitable activities, all the while changing the culture and mindset regarding the importance of healthy and clean forests; to working directly with the chain of institutions and individuals in charge on a policymaking level – the programme is committed to ensuring a greener and healthier environment for Kosovo people.