MES has long held the belief that public awareness of local biodiversity and its protection can only be raised through a continuous presence in the region. To this end, the Society has been carrying out activities in Prespa since the 1980s, but with financial support from PONT, this goal was finally crowned with the establishment of a local office (Goce Delchev Street, Resen), which was opened in July 2018.
We are here to support all civic initiatives dedicated to the protection and study of local biodiversity, both logistically and through the expertise of our specialists, gained through continuous involvement in projects over the past several decades. The effective collection of research data largely depends on citizen engagement. Therefore, MES is particularly committed to raising public awareness, especially through environmental education of young people. This represents an investment in the future active stakeholders of the Prespa region, who will go on to make decisions with the environment and the complex relationships among its components in mind. In this context, humans hold an equal, yet far more responsible role.
In cooperation with the Municipality of Resen and the staff of protected areas in the region, we aim to establish an active group of nature enthusiasts who will seize every opportunity to collect and share biological and ecological data, and to report conservation threats in a timely manner. Such a group represents the missing step toward creating environmental pressure to overcome societal and institutional passivity. The local office serves as a kind of “control center” for all our activities in Prespa, so if you would like to learn more or join our work - visit us!