Advancing action for nature under the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans

Held under the Regional Working Group on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, the meeting provided an important opportunity to take stock of progress under Pillar 5: Protection of Nature and Biodiversity of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans Action Plan 2021–2030. It also helped strengthen coordination around the key regional planning and implementation processes currently being developed with support from IUCN, as Secretariat of the Biodiversity Task Force.

Opening the meeting on 19 May 2026, representatives of IUCN, the Regional Cooperation Council and International Partnership Austria underlined the continued importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared biodiversity challenges, from habitat degradation and ecosystem fragmentation to the need for stronger data, monitoring, restoration planning and financing mechanisms.

“Through the Biodiversity Task Force, we are bringing together updates, expertise and priorities from across the Western Balkans to shape the next steps under the biodiversity pillar. The WB6 Biodiversity Report, the WB6 Biodiversity Strategic Plan and the first draft of the WB6 Forest Landscape Restoration Plan are important building blocks for a more coordinated regional approach to biodiversity conservation, restoration and monitoring,” said Kornelija Radovanović, Governance & Policy Programme Officer, IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO). “They also help ensure that action in the Western Balkans is aligned with EU biodiversity commitments and the Global Biodiversity Framework,” she added.  

BDTF WB Members also shared key updates on major conservation developments across the region, highlighting progress on species protection, transboundary cooperation and implementation on the ground, such as:

• The official endorsement of the Regional Strategy to protect the Balkan lynx at the CMS COP15 in Brazil;
• The launch of the LIFE DinPin Bear, a new ambitious project for the conservation of the brown bear in the Dinaric–Pindos range;  
• The proclamation of a new protected Belčiško Blato Nature Park in North Macedonia is entering final stages; and
• Presentation of the project contributing to strengthening cooperation among protected areas in the Western Balkans, implemented by three BioNet members (MES, PPNEA, and CZIP) and EuroNatur.

The meeting also addressed the links between biodiversity, climate and societal resilience, with preliminary findings presented to support a better understanding of how nature conservation and restoration can contribute to broader resilience across the region. Discussions on environmental connectivity further highlighted the need to look beyond individual sites and strengthen ecological links across landscapes, borders and sectors.

A dedicated session on mobilising finance for nature through Nature-based Solutions introduced a draft concept note for a possible financial mechanism, opening discussion on how to better support implementation on the ground. Participants also reflected on future training and study tour needs, as well as the role of thematic working groups in providing technical input and continuity between Task Force meetings.

Key takeaways from the meeting included the need to:

• Continue strengthening regional cooperation in implementing the Nature and Biodiversity Pillar of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans;  
• Facilitate meaningful participation and engagement of all relevant stakeholder groups in the implementation of Pillar 5 of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans;
• Ensure that regional biodiversity and restoration planning is supported by robust data, national expertise and practical implementation pathways;  
• Mobilise financing and capacity support for concrete conservation and restoration action; and
• Continue engaging the Biodiversity Task Force for the Western Balkans and its thematic working groups as platforms for technical exchange, coordination and regional ownership.  

On the second day, participants visited Elbasan Municipality, where IUCN presented the Elbasan pilot project and exchanged with municipal forestry representatives and biodiversity experts engaged in local biodiversity assessment. The visit helped connect regional planning discussions with practical implementation at the local level, showing how ecosystem restoration can deliver tangible environmental and social benefits when designed and implemented through participatory approaches, in close cooperation with the municipal and national authorities and the local community.  

The meeting was organised in the frame of the Greening the Western Balkans project, supported by International Partnerships Austria, and ADAPT 2.0: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Western Balkans, funded by Sweden.  

For more information on the Nature and Biodiversity Pillar of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans: 

• Infographic: What is Pillar 5 of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans?
• Video: What is the Nature and Biodiversity Pillar of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans?