On December 13, IUCN ECARO hosted the ‘Youth wetland conservation workshop, with a focus on the Western Balkans’ to build on existing conservation partnerships in Albania and seek new collaborations such as between the Young European Ambassadors programme (YEA), the National Youth Congress in Albania, Regional Youth Cooperation Office and the Biodiversity Task Force of South East Europe.

The goal of the workshop was for young custodians of the environment to interact with organisations, to learn and share information about conservation activities in the region.  

We discussed conservation action in the Balkans, introducing the guiding policies, such as the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, down to regional activities and projects in Albania to protect wetlands – and how it all fits together. 

Our presenters included representatives from the European Commission, NAPA (National Agency of Protected Areas of Albania), Medwet (the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative) and the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO). We were pleased to hear from the youth representatives, whose feedback and ideas will contribute to our forthcoming activities on wetland importance and conservation in the Balkans.