The Swedish funded programme on forestry, implemented by FAO in close cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Rural Development, organized a training on media reporting on forestry as part of capacity building to the journalists to investigate and report various problems and best practices facing the forestry sector in Kosovo.
Journalists from mainstream media got in depth information on forest sources, use and practices in Kosovo, illegal logging and timber trade, forestation and reforestation. Among the key challenges presented during the training were illegal forest logging, non-punishment of illegal loggers, lack of investments in the management of forest resources and low level of public awareness on protection and use of forests.
The Ambassador of Sweden in Kosovo, Karin Hernmarck Ahliny in her welcoming speech, emphasized the support that Sweden is providing for forestry sector and highlighted the great role that the media have in shaping public opinion for the sustainable development of forests. She encouraged journalists to prioritize this sector in their reporting and to use the expertise of the FAO team in the forestry program to obtain information during their work.
