26th – 30th August 2024, Prespa National Park, Albania
Application Deadline: Sunday, 21 July 2024
PPNEA in collaboration with its PrespaNet partners Macedonian Ecological Society (MES), and Society for Protection of Prespa (SPP), will organize a transboundary summer school entitled ”BiodiversePrespa – Exploring Prespa’s Wilderness with Field Research and Expert Scientists”, which will be held on 26th – 30th August 2024.
This summer school will offer a combination of theoretical frames and practical activities, which will be organized in Prespa National Park, Albania. Besides enjoying the beauty of natural landscapes and the rare biodiversity values, the participants will have the chance to enrich their knowledge with new methodologies and monitoring protocols as part of authentic research fieldwork for the main aim of biodiversity conservation in Prespa’s transboundary basin.
PrespaNet is a network of three environmental organizations, PPNEA from Albania, whose central office is located in Tirana and the regional office is located in Dolna Gorica, Prespa National Park, MES from North Macedonia, whose central office is located in Skopje and regional/local office is located in Resen, and SPP from Greece with the physical presence of their office at Municipality of Prespa in the Greek part of the Prespa National Park. This network has more than a decade of dedication to the conservation work in Transboundary Prespa, and jointly operates on behalf of this purpose through the project “Protecting Prespa’s waters and wildlife in Prespa-Ohrid-Shebenik ecoregion through community engagement”. This project consists of four main strategies:
- Water and wetland landscape conservation
- Consolidating Prespa conservation interests
- On the frontline-Combating priority threats, and
- Listen and share-Reinforcing local engagement.
This event will unite the borders and bring together the students from the three sides of Prespa to increase their capacities in nature conservation and share their experience, culture, and progress. It will offer high-quality fieldwork experience in the field to the next generation of conservationists from the wider Prespa area.
Educational Themes:
- Waterbird studies: Census, identification methods, and their significance.
- Mammal monitoring: Observing key species in Prespa National Park.
- Fish and reptile monitoring: Fieldwork on monitoring methodologies.
- Local inclusion: Engaging with partners, stakeholders, and community representatives.
Information for applicants
The summer school is open to all university students from Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece, and will bring together 25-30 students from bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental science, natural sciences, agricultural sciences, education, and other related fields. The official language of the summer school will be English. Applicants must demonstrate a very good knowledge of English in their application.
Priority will be given to applicants from the region, or those currently studying at regional universities. The program is also open to recent university graduates and young professionals working in related disciplines in Prespa.
Participation in the summer school is free of charge, with food, accommodation, transport, and insurance covered by the project. Further details regarding transport, accommodation, and the program will be provided to successful applicants.
Upon successful completion of the summer school, participants will be awarded certificates of completion.
To apply for summer school, please complete the application form available here and submit it to [email protected] by midnight on July 21, 2024. All successful applicants will be notified by August 11, 2024.
This year’s summer school is organized by PPNEA, through “The Prespa Project-Protecting Prespa’s Waters and Wildlife in Prespa-Ohrid-Shebenik Ecoregion through Community Engagement”.’’, which is funded by the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust and the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation, with support from EuroNatur. This transboundary project aims to strengthen collaboration among PrespaNet network members, i.e. PPNEA, MES, and PPNEA, through concrete conservation activities in the region, integrated cross-border actions on biodiversity protection, and working particularly with young people, through education and volunteering initiatives.