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Co-operation in the Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif area: Scoping study on addressing shared climate-related security challenges and strengthening resilience

21.03.2023

The Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif area is a biodiversity hotspot in South-Eastern Europe with outstanding natural value. Comprising four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain, and Sharri/Šara, the area has a coverage of more than 240,000 ha, making it one of the largest contiguous protected areas in Europe. Natural resources in this mountain area provide multiple economic opportunities, and are therefore important for safeguarding livelihood security and well-being of local communities. Climate change poses a threat to the natural and economic values of the Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif area. Combined with unsustainable and illegal human activities, the impacts of climate change threaten the area's rich biodiversity and key economic sectors, all of which would affect livelihoods and feed into the security risks faced by local communities.

This Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)-adelphi scoping study analyses climate-related security risks in the Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif area and identifies co-operation activities to reduce such risks. It is the result of consultations with local stakeholders in the four protected areas as well as in Tirana, Skopje and Pristina.

The scoping study is prepared within the framework of the OSCE project Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

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