European Green Belt

We‘re staying here! Conservation pioneers in the Balkans The herb tamer

Four hours‘ drive to the southwest, and across the border into Albania, farmer Danjel Bica has a similar vision: he wants the people in the villages on the edge of the Korab-Koritnik Nature Park (map p. 4, no. 5) to live in harmony with nature instead of exploiting it. In the mountains of the Dibër region grow many plant species known for their healing properties. As a result, the plants have become rare in other parts of Europe. Globally, demand for medicinal herbs is high.

We have now established three farms that grow and successfully sell medicinal plants.

Read the full text about the two conservation pioneers Shqipe Shala and Danjel Bica on our website at enatur.org/1046

People gather more than nature can supply, and more than they can sell. They harvest them before the plants have flowered or before the fruits are ripe. It is this kind of exploitation that we want to stop”, says Danjel Bica, a farmer himself and also founder of the Young Environmental Experts Association (SHERM for short). Like Shqipe Shala, Danjel Bica has also received support from EuroNatur for his pilot project, and is pleased with its success. His idea of sustainable cultivation of herbs and medicinal plants has been welcomed with open arms by the farmers.