About us

Since 2015, Shara’s friends, as the most active network of associations advocating for the proclamation of Shara Mountain as a national park, has been involved in at least five joint projects whose activities were intended for local stakeholders and the general public as well. In addition, here are some of the most important activities of the platform in the past six years:

– Public promotion of the platform, concert in the center of Tetovo (September 2015)

– Survey about the awareness of the population regarding the proclamation of Shar Planina as NP and public promotion of the results (March, 2016). This was the one of the first surveys carried on based on a representative sample from the region. 83% of respondents said they were in favor of a national park.

– Final conference of the project within which the platform was formed with the participation of national and regional stakeholders involved in the Shar Planina initiative to be declared as a NP. (May, 2017)

– Press conference held  against the construction of roads on Shara Mountain. (June, 2017)

– Supporting a documentary film directed by the agency “VIDI VAKA” for Shara Mountain (June, 2017)

– Analysis of the platform and report on the process of establishing the platform (November 2017-May 2018)

– First projects fully prepared and implemented by the platform”Shara’s friends” (March-May 2018): “Creation of an advisory body for the cross-border region Shara / Korab-Koritnik” process supported by GIZ and “Shara-our natural home”, a project supported by IPA 2 CSO mechanism.

– Participation in the process of making a Vision of the local population for the region of Shara Mountain in all six municipalities with different stakeholders in the region called “Vision for Shara 2038”

– The platform in 2019 got its own member from Gostivar.

– Organization of a donor conference in June 2019 with the participation of donors from the country and Germany

– In 2019, Shara’s friends made their first video on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of its establishment.

– In the village of Vejce, a cross-border fair “Shara Mountain Day” was organized in order to promote the natural and cultural values ​​of the region

– In 2020, some members of the Friends of Shara platform were invited to organize and participate in a public campaign to declare Shara Mountain as a national park in cooperation with the MoEPP and UNEP. As part of the campaign, more than 10 activities intended for the local population were carried out, also many videos were made about the natural values ​​of Shara Mountain as well as many other promotional materials.

– In the period between 2015-2021 Shara’s friends remained committed to the mission to nurture traditional values ​​such as local varieties and traditions, so we were organizers as well as participants in various events such as “The Day of the bean”, “Days of Honey” and in our projects we included local people who nurture traditions in the framework of trainings, study visits, education, exchanging of experience, in the region of Shara / Korab-Koritnik and Germany.

– In 2021 we are organizing another survey on the local opinion regarding the process of declaring Shara Mountain as a national park and this time it will be carried out  in all the villages that are planned to be part within the boundaries of the future national park.